As many as 217 people died and several others were injured after a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck central Mexico early Wednesday. Officials along with locals dug worriedly through the rubble of collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings in look out for survivors of Mexico’s deadliest earthquake in decades.
The most frantic rescue effort was at a primary and secondary school in southern Mexico City. A wing of the three-story building collapsed that led to the killing of many children. Mexico City Mayor, Miguel Angel Mancera said 44 buildings were severely damaged or destroyed. Several major gas leaks and fires occurred.
Thousands ran into the streets in panic, and millions lost electricity as the earthquake struck the city. The United Nations expressed condolences and said it was ready to help. “We have some buildings where we have reports that there could be people inside. They are doing it with lots of caution,” the interior secretary said.
There was a rush of ambulances and fire engines, as millions of workers tried to go home. Among buildings that collapsed in the capital were apartment blocks, a school, a factory and a supermarket. The fashionable Roma district was hit, and a six-story apartment building was among several collapses.
