Mexico
earthquake: Many die in school collapse
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The deadly earthquake
in Mexico has appeared to have triggered an eruption of a
volcano in the country, adding to the death toll of at least 248 people.
The
Popocatépetl volcano apparently erupted after the 7.1 magnitude quake
struck Mexico City at 1:14pm on Tuesday afternoon.
A
church on the slopes of the volcano in Atzitzihuacán collapsed during mass,
killing 15 people, according to Puebla governor José Antonio Gali.
At
least 20 children are among the 248 killed by the quake after the Colegio
Enrique Rebsamen primary school collapsed.
Thirty
more children and eight adults are sill missing, with desperate parents waiting
outside the gates for any news.
The quake appears to have
triggered the Popocatépetl volcano (Twitter)
Rescue workers
search for children trapped inside the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school (AP)
Volunteers bring pieces of
wood to help prop up sections of the collapsed school (AP)
At least 20 children were
killed when the school collapsed (AP)Parents have been
desperately waiting for news of their children (AP)
The search is on for
survivors among the rubble (Rex)
The scene on the streets is
one of utter devastation (Rex)
Relatives
said they had received a WhatsApp message from two girls inside.
Adriana
D’Fargo, 32, whose seven-year-old daughter is still missing, said: ”They keep
pulling kids out, but we know nothing of my daughter.”
President
Enrique Pena Nieto, after visiting the school, appealed for calm, saying: “The
priority at this moment is to keep rescuing people who are still trapped and to
give medical attention to the injured people.”
The
rescue effort continued long through the night, the work punctuated by cries of
“quiet” so searchers could listen for any faint calls for help,
Mr
Pena Nieto added: “They have heard voices in there.”
The
magnitude 7.1 quake struck at 1:14pm on the 32nd anniversary of the tremor that
killed thousands and came just two hours after earthquake drills were held
across Mexico to mark the date.
The 7.1 magnitude quake
struck in the middle of the afternoon (PA)Dust rises over down town
Mexico City during the 7.1 earthquake (PA)
D
Mexico
City mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said buildings fell at 44 sites in the capital
alone as high-rises across the city swayed and twisted and hundreds of
thousands of panicked people ran into the streets blocking traffic.
The
national Civil Defence agency reported that the confirmed death toll had
climbed to 248, more than half of them in the capital.
The
official Twitter feed of agency head Luis Felipe Puente said 117 dead had been
counted in Mexico City and 72 in Morelos state, which is just south of the
capital.
A man is rescued from a
collapsed building in the Condesa neighbourhood of Mexico City (AP)
Remains of a damaged
building stands after the earthquake struck (AP)Buildings were left in
ruins following the huge quake (AP)
The quake destroyed
buildings with ease (Rex)The death toll in the
earthquake is expected to rise (Rex)
It
said 43 were known dead in Puebla state, where the quake was centred.
Where
a six-story office building collapsed in Mexico City, sisters Cristina and
Victoria Lopez Torres formed part of a human chain passing bottled water.
Christina
said: ”I think it’s human nature that drives everyone to come and help others.
Her
sister Victoria added: ”We are young, we didn’t live in ’85, but we know that
it’s important to come out to the street to help.”
