Three people were reported to have been rescued at the Enrique Rébsamen school overnight but many are feared trapped Photo: GETTY IMAGES[/caption]
A strong earthquake has struck central Mexico, killing more than 200 people and toppling dozens of buildings in the capital, Mexico City.
President Enrique Peña Nieto said more than 20 children had died and 30 were missing after a school collapsed. The 7.1 magnitude quake also caused major damage in neighbouring states. The tremor struck shortly after many people had taken part in an earthquake drill, exactly 32 years after a quake killed thousands in Mexico City. The country is prone to earthquakes and earlier this month an 8.1 magnitude tremor in the south left at least 90 people dead. Though it struck a similar region, Tuesday’s earthquake does not appear to be connected with the quake on 7 September, which was more than 30 times more energetic, the BBC’s Jonathan Amos writes.Where was worst hit?
The epicentre of the latest quake was near Atencingo in Puebla state, about 120km (75 miles) from Mexico City, with a depth of 51km, the US Geological Survey said. The prolonged tremor hit at 13:14 local time (18:14 GMT) and sent thousands of residents into the streets. An earlier death toll of nearly 250 was lowered to 217 by the country’s national co-ordinator for civil protection:- Morelos state: 71 dead
- Puebla state: 43 dead
- Mexico City: 86 dead
- Mexico state: 12 dead
- Guerrero: 4 dead
- Oaxaca: 1
What about survivors?
Emergency workers, aided by military personnel and volunteers, have been working through the night in the search for people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. At the Enrique Rébsamen school, three people were rescued at about midnight, Reuters news agency reports, adding that one child trapped under the debris was saved after oxygen was supplied through a tube. Mexico’s Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) reported that at least 209 schools had been affected by the quake, 15 of which have suffered severe damage. Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera told TV network Televisa that buildings at 44 locations had collapsed or were badly damaged. These are said to include a six-storey blocks of flats, a supermarket and a factory.


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The strong quake was felt in the capital, Mexico City[/caption]

What happened in 1985?
An earthquake drill was being held in Mexico City on Tuesday to mark the 32nd anniversary of a magnitude 8 quake that killed up to 10,000 people and left 30,000 others injured. The severe tremor caused serious damage to Mexico City and its surrounding areas, with more than 400 buildings collapsed and thousands more damaged. Correspondents say that residents may have mistaken earthquake alarms for part of the day of drills in the wake of the 1985 quake. Mexico City is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with more than 20 million people living in the metropolitan area.Why is Mexico so prone to earthquakes?
Mexico is one of the most seismically active regions in the world, sitting on top of three of the Earth’s largest tectonic plates – the North American, Cocos and Pacific plates. The latest tremor occurred near the boundary between the North American and Cocos plates, where the latter slides beneath the former. According to the US Geological Survey, the country has seen 19 earthquakes of at least 6.5 magnitude within 155 miles of the epicentre of Tuesday’s quake over the past century. A stronger earthquake (8.1) on 8 September is not thought to be linked to Tuesday’s as the epicentres lie about 400 miles apart and it is unusual for an aftershock to appear so long after a major quake.What has the reaction been?
Alfredo del Mazo Maza, governor of the State of Mexico, said schools would be closed on Wednesday. He also ordered all public transport to operate services for free so that people could travel home. Foreign leaders sent messages of support to Mexico as the scale of the disaster became clear.
- stay calm
- find the evacuation route and meeting point
- stay away from windows and objects that may fall
- in case of emergency call 911
- do not use lifts