Mexico Earthquake: Death Toll Rises to 361, 44 Buildings Collapse
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said 27 buildings had collapsed in the capital, Mexico City.
A major earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck central Mexico last month, toppling dozens of buildings in the heavily populated capital and killing at least 361 people nearby. More than 44 buildings were severely damaged in the earthquake.
- At least 361 people have been killed after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico
- At least 44 buildings have collapsed in the capital, Mexico City
- In Cuernavaca, a city south of Mexico City, there were unconfirmed reports of people trapped beneath collapsed buildings
Death Tolls Rises to 361
The death toll from Mexico's magnitude 7.1 earthquake rose to 361 on Sunday after another casualty was confirmed in the capital. However, at least eight people are still missing.
Toll Crosses 230
Mexican rescuers on Wednesday labored for a second night amid the rubble to save possible survivors of the country's most lethal earthquake in a generation, including a girl trapped under a school in Mexico City, as the death toll exceeded 230.
Television stations broadcast live the painstaking, hours-long attempt to rescue the girl after crews at the school in the south of the city reported seeing her hand move. They threaded a hose through debris to get her water.
The girl's name was not made public, but her family waited in anguish nearby.
Israeli Military to Send 70-Member Team to Mexico
The Israeli military said it would send a 70-member delegation to Mexico to assist with rescue efforts following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus is a military spokesman who says the delegation is expected to arrive in Mexico on Thursday morning. He says the delegation's main effort will be to provide engineering assistance.
Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it was sending a rescue team in response to a request for assistance from Mexico. Netanyahu paid an official visit to Mexico last week.
Death Toll at 216
The Civil Protection Agency stated that at least 216 people were killed in the earthquake that hit on Tuesday.
This comes after the agency said that 248 people had reportedly been killed.
Toll Rises to 149
At least 149 people were killed by a powerful earthquake that struck central Mexico on Tuesday, the nation's civil protection agency said.
The highest death toll was in the state of Morelos, just south of Mexico City, where 55 deaths were reported, Luis Felipe Puente, who leads the agency, wrote in a post on Twitter. In Mexico City, at least 49 people were left dead, Puente said.
In the state of Puebla, south of Mexico City, 32 people were killed by the quake, and 10 were left dead in the state of Mexico, which surrounds the capital. Three people also died in the state of Guerrero, on the Pacific coast.
At Least 100 Killed
At least 100 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck central Mexico on Tuesday.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said 27 buildings had collapsed in the capital, Mexico City.
“People are really scared right now,” said dentist Claudia Meneses who was in her clinic in Mexico City's Lindavista neighborhood when the earthquake struck mid-afternoon. “We’re going to go to a building that fell to see if we can help.”
Earthquakes of magnitude 7 or above are regarded as major and are capable of causing widespread heavy damage.
Television images showed a multi-story building in the capital with a middle floor collapsed as sirens blared and first responders rushed to the scene. Other video showed the side of a government building shearing off and falling into the street as bystanders screamed.
US President Tweets in Solidarity
US President Donald Trump said on Twitter: "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you."
In Cuernavaca, a city south of Mexico City, there were unconfirmed reports on local radio of people trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
Mexican TV and social media showed cars crushed by debris. Many people fled into the streets, and electricity and phone lines were down in parts of the capital.
“We got out really fast, leaving everything as it was and just left,” said Rosaura Suarez, as she stood with a crowd on the street.
Earthquake on the Anniversary of Deadly 1985 Quake
The quake hit only hours after many people participated in earthquake drills around the nation on the anniversary of a devastating quake that killed thousands in Mexico City in 1985.
Many people were also still shaken from another quake on 7 September, a powerful 8.1 temblor in southern Mexico that killed at least 98 people.
The epicenter of Tuesday's quake was located in the central state of Puebla, the US Geological Survey said.
President Enrique Pena was on a flight on Tuesday to the state of Oaxaca, one of the hardest hit areas by the previous quake, and said via his Twitter account that he was immediately returning to attend to the quake in Mexico City.
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