Rescue Work Continues After Tuesday’s Mexico City Earthquake

September 20, 2017 11:43 AM

- VOA News

Rescue workers searched Wednesday in Mexico City and nearby states in hopes of finding survivors of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that killed at least 225 people and collapsed dozens of buildings.

Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong said Mexican armed forces and police will continue working until they exhaust all possibilities of finding more people alive.

Civilians joined search and rescue teams shortly after the earthquake struck Tuesday, using heavy machinery and their bare hands to remove piles of rubble.

The epicenter of the quake was in Puebla, 123 kilometers southeast of Mexico City.

Ken Hudnut, a science adviser with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, California, said Mexico City's geology probably contributed to the building collapses.

"Some of the buildings are on old lake beds, and that can amplify the shaking and cause the shaking to last longer, and that can make for more damage," Hudnut told VOA.

The Israeli military said it would send a team of 70 people to help with rescue efforts by providing engineering assistance. Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the team will help survey buildings to determine their damage and safety levels.

Rescue workers search through rubble during a floodlit search for students at Enrique Rebsamen school in Mexico City, Mexico, Sept. 20, 2017.

Rescue operations

President Enrique Pena Nieto visited a three-story school in the capital city that collapsed and was the site of one of the rescue operations. Mexico's education secretary, Aurelio Nuno, said 25 people were killed at the school, while 11 others were rescued and 30 were missing.

Pena Nieto also issued a video address saying the government's priorities are rescuing those trapped by the earthquake and getting medical aid to the injured. He expressed condolences to those who lost a loved one and said Mexico shares in their grief.

Local media reported extensive damage, power outages and fires throughout Mexico City, one of the most populous urban areas in the world.

U.S. President Donald Trump sent a message of support for Mexico from New York, where he is attending the U.N. General Assembly.

Trump tweeted: "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you."

Mexican authorities suspended operations at the international airport and closed schools.

Pope Francis acknowledged the victims of the earthquake during an open prayer Wednesday in St. Peter's Square, saying he wanted to "express my closeness and prayer to the dear Mexican people."

Series of quakes

The quake hit less than two weeks after another earthquake killed more than 90 people in the country's south. The U.S. Geological Survey said the two quakes appeared to be unrelated.

USGS seismologist Paul Earle said the two epicenters are 650 kilometers apart and most aftershocks are within 100 kilometers.

The earthquake struck exactly 32 years after an 8.0 temblor killed nearly 10,000 people in and around Mexico City.

Victor Beattie contributed to this report