Central Mexico earthquake kills more than 200, topples buildings
Story highlights
- 22 bodies were found in the debris of a school, president says
- Strong earthquake comes on anniversary of devastating 1985 quake
(CNN)Rescuers
searched for survivors through the night after Tuesday's powerful
earthquake shook Mexico City and surrounding states, killing scores and
leaving many trapped under collapsed buildings.
At
least 216 people died in Mexico City -- the country's capital -- and in
the states of Puebla, Mexico and Morelos, officials said. Previously,
authorities had said that as many as 248 people had died. The death toll
was later revised.
The
epicenter of the 7.1-magnitude earthquake was 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers)
east-northeast of San Juan Raboso and 34.1 miles (55 km)
south-southwest of the city of Puebla, in Puebla state, according to the
US Geological Survey.
President
Enrique Peña Nieto said 22 bodies were found in the debris of an
elementary school in Mexico City that collapsed due to the earthquake.
At least 30 children were still missing Tuesday night, he said.
"We are facing a new national emergency," Peña Nieto told citizens earlier on his first address following the earthquake.
Tuesday's earthquake came more than one week after a magnitude-8.1 earthquake struck off the southern coast of the country, killing at least 90, according to the governor of the hard-hit state of Oaxaca.
In
Mexico City, thousands of soldiers, rescuers and civilians -- including
college students -- were working side by side to dig through tall piles
of rubble from dozens of crumbled buildings.
Some
carried away buckets full of debris while others called out the names
of those who have been rescued. At times, rescuers asked for total
silence as they tried to hear voices coming from under the debris.
The
quake left the busiest city in Mexico in chaos. Windows buckled and
shattered, falling several stories to the ground while thousands of
people streamed into the streets running away from buildings and
potential gas leaks.
People
struggled to get home when power poles that toppled in the quake blocked
the streets and the public transportation system temporarily shut down
operations. Nearly 5 million customers were still without power early
Wednesday.
Photos: Deadly earthquake rocks central Mexico
The quake leaves the Jojutla Municipal Palace damaged in Morelos state on September 19.
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The hunt for survivors goes on at the scene of a collapsed building in Mexico City's Del Valle neighborhood on September 19.
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Emergency workers remove debris as they search for survivors in Mexico City on September 19.
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People react in Mexico City just after the quake hit. A few moments earlier, an earthquake drill was held in the capital.
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People gather on a Mexico City street after office buildings were evacuated because of the quake.
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A building is damaged in Mexico City on September 19.
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A woman in Mexico City cries as she tries to reach people on her cell phone after the quake.
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Patients from a Mexico City hospital receive treatment outside after the hospital was evacuated on September 19.
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A woman in Mexico City reacts after the quake.
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People remove debris off a building that collapsed in Mexico City.
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A car is crushed by debris in Mexico City on September 19.
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A woman receives medical assistance after she was injured in Mexico City on September 19.
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People stand inside a Mexico City building that collapsed in the quake.
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Photos: Deadly earthquake rocks central Mexico
Rescue
workers remove rubble from a Mexico City building flattened by a
magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the region Tuesday, September 19.
For the second time in two weeks, a powerful temblor hit Mexico. A
magnitude 8.1 quake struck off the country's southern coast on September 8.
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Photos: Deadly earthquake rocks central Mexico
A woman passes a collapsed building in Jojutla in the state of Morelos on September 19.
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Rescue workers search for children trapped inside the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school in Mexico City on September 19.
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A
man comforts a student outside a school in Mexico City's Roma
neighborhood after the quake struck September 19. The earthquake
happened 32 years after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit on September 19,
1985, killing an estimated 9,500 people in and around Mexico City.
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A police officer runs toward the site where a building collapsed in Mexico City on September 19.
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Rescue workers and volunteers search a collapsed building in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood on September 19.
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A man is rescued from under rubble in Mexico City's Condesa area on September 19.
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A woman's crushed body hangs from a collapsed building in Mexico City on September 19.
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Recovery efforts are underway at the collapse of a residential building in Mexico City on September 19.
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Volunteers search for survivors in the rubble of a building in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood on September 19.
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Rescuers,
firefighters, police, soldiers and volunteers remove debris as they
search for survivors in Mexico City on September 19.
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A pair of shoes sit abandoned on a sidewalk following the earthquake in Mexico City on September 19.
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The quake leaves the Jojutla Municipal Palace damaged in Morelos state on September 19.
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Photos: Deadly earthquake rocks central Mexico
The hunt for survivors goes on at the scene of a collapsed building in Mexico City's Del Valle neighborhood on September 19.
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Emergency workers remove debris as they search for survivors in Mexico City on September 19.
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People react in Mexico City just after the quake hit. A few moments earlier, an earthquake drill was held in the capital.
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People gather on a Mexico City street after office buildings were evacuated because of the quake.
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A building is damaged in Mexico City on September 19.
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A woman in Mexico City cries as she tries to reach people on her cell phone after the quake.
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Patients from a Mexico City hospital receive treatment outside after the hospital was evacuated on September 19.
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A woman in Mexico City reacts after the quake.
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People remove debris off a building that collapsed in Mexico City.
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A car is crushed by debris in Mexico City on September 19.
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A woman receives medical assistance after she was injured in Mexico City on September 19.
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People stand inside a Mexico City building that collapsed in the quake.
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Rescue
workers remove rubble from a Mexico City building flattened by a
magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the region Tuesday, September 19.
For the second time in two weeks, a powerful temblor hit Mexico. A
magnitude 8.1 quake struck off the country's southern coast on September 8.
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Photos: Deadly earthquake rocks central Mexico
A woman passes a collapsed building in Jojutla in the state of Morelos on September 19.
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Rescue workers search for children trapped inside the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school in Mexico City on September 19.
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A
man comforts a student outside a school in Mexico City's Roma
neighborhood after the quake struck September 19. The earthquake
happened 32 years after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit on September 19,
1985, killing an estimated 9,500 people in and around Mexico City.
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A police officer runs toward the site where a building collapsed in Mexico City on September 19.
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Rescue workers and volunteers search a collapsed building in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood on September 19.
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A man is rescued from under rubble in Mexico City's Condesa area on September 19.
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A woman's crushed body hangs from a collapsed building in Mexico City on September 19.
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Recovery efforts are underway at the collapse of a residential building in Mexico City on September 19.
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Volunteers search for survivors in the rubble of a building in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood on September 19.
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Rescuers,
firefighters, police, soldiers and volunteers remove debris as they
search for survivors in Mexico City on September 19.
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A pair of shoes sit abandoned on a sidewalk following the earthquake in Mexico City on September 19.
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All
public and private schools in Mexico City and some of the states
affected by the earthquake will remain closed until further notice,
Education Minister Aurelio Nuño tweeted.
Tuesday's earthquake took place on the anniversary of a devastating earthquake that killed thousands in Mexico City in 1985. Just hours before the quake hit, many people took part in drills and commemorative events.
"God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you," US President Donald Trump tweeted.
Photographer: Moment turns to terror
Adrian
Wilson, a photographer from New York City who was visiting his fiancee,
was eating in the capital when the earthquake struck.
"The
floor gently rocked as if a big truck went by," Wilson said. "It then
amplified in waves and the whole room started shaking. The building is
from the 1930s and just survived a big earthquake, so I knew I would be
OK."
Wilson told CNN: "The doors were flapping open, the windows, everything."
He took a quick video to show his children, he said.
"It's
almost a roller coaster ride, where you think, wow, this is kind of
cool. But then all of a sudden, you're like this isn't cool at all," he
said.
He looked outside and saw
helicopters, and burning and collapsed buildings. "Then you realize ...
this is no joy ride for anybody."
Ricardo
Ramos, a TV producer from Los Angeles, was scouting a location in a
Mexico City cafe when the quake hit. He ran out into the street.
"Thank
you, God, for keeping us safe once again. We got to experience another
terrible #earthquake, this time during a location scout," he wrote on
Instagram.
'It was nerve-wracking'
Luis
Ramos, who owns an airline business management company, said he was in a
meeting near Mexico's main airport when the ground started to shake.
"We
evacuated and when we got outside the roads were moving up and down and
trees were falling," he told CNN. "It was nerve-wracking. "
Ramos
said he got into a car with his driver and went to check on his
99-year-old grandfather, Pedro Cabrero, who lives in a high rise.
"On
the elevated roadway, I could see smoke and hear explosions," he said.
"I saw a lot of damaged buildings where the exteriors had fallen. I saw
some collapsed buildings."
Ramos
said his grandfather was safe. After the earthquake, the two drove
around the capital trying to find a place to eat. "He tells me he's
ready for a tequila," he said of his grandfather.
'Furniture fell over'
The
September 19, 1985, earthquake registered at magnitude-8.0 and killed
an estimated 9,500 people in and around Mexico City. That quake left a
huge scar on the city, resulting in changes in building codes and
greater protections against earthquakes, such as the drills that took
place hours earlier.
Dorothy Munoz told CNN that she was watching a TV special on the 1985 earthquake when the earth shook for real.
"A
fish tank fell to the floor," the Mexico City resident said.
"Decorations around the apartment fell and broke. Furniture fell over."
People remove debris off a building that collapsed after an earthquake rattled Mexico City.
Munoz
grabbed her dogs and raced to the street, where people were told not to
return to their apartments until buildings were checked for structural
damage and gas leaks.
"This is one of those moments where we all need to come together," Ramos said.
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