A strong earthquake of 7.1 degrees shook at 1:14 p.m. m. Mexico City on Tuesday caused the collapse of several buildings, dozens of dead, and panic scenes among its more than 20 million inhabitants, the same day that marks the 32nd anniversary of the powerful earthquake of 1985.
The earthquake, which the Seismological Institute of Mexico initially estimated at 6.8 and then at 7.1, had its epicenter 55 kilometers from the city of Puebla, near the capital.
The death toll from the earthquake exceeds 200 in five states, according to the National Civil Protection coordinator Luis Felipe Puente .
But he warned that the figure could increase as “reported missing persons” were feared among the ruins of dozens of collapsed buildings, especially in the southern area and the corridor Roma-Condesa, chic zone where many foreigners live.
Thinking about our neighbors in Mexico and all our Mexican-American friends tonight. Cuidense mucho y un fuerte abrazo para todos.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 20, 2017
Among the fatal victims in the capital were 21 children and another 20 were missing in a school, said Javier Treviño, deputy secretary of education.
According to the Mayor of Mexico City, about 50 buildings collapsed in areas of the center and south of the capital, where, at dusk, many people watched with dismay their homes badly damaged.
The images were repeated: buildings destroyed, faces decomposed by anguish and hundreds of people working, side by side, with the authorities to rescue those who were trapped under the rubble.
The airport in Mexico City suspended its operations.
At the corner of Álvaro Obregón and Medellín, a five-floor alternative medicine clinic collapsed almost completely.
