Mexico’s Foreign Minister told the United Nations on Wednesday that at least 219 people are dead after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck southeast of Mexico City at approximately 2:14 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, September 19th.
21 children and five adults from the Enrique Rebsamen elementary school in Mexico City’s Coapa district were killed after the building collapsed around them. Workers and volunteers continue to work to search for and free any that might be trapped under dozens of other buildings which fell.
Al momento en La Roma, recuerda guardar la calma l vía @Ocaranza pic.twitter.com/SdsY3Hg6j0
— DIARIO RÉCORD (@record_mexico) September 19, 2017
Graco Ramirez, governor of the affected state of Morelos, said that he would be returning to the area to work with the emergency committee set up to respond to the earthquake aftermath.
"Don't smoke! There's gas!" emergency workers shouted as they ran through the streets in the Roma Norte area of Mexico City https://t.co/h9bXcDb3Zi
— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 19, 2017
SISMO Magnitud 7.1 Loc. 12 km al SURESTE de AXOCHIAPAN, MOR 19/09/17 13:14:40 Lat 18.40 Lon -98.72 Pf 57 km
— Sismologico Nacional (@SismologicoMX) September 19, 2017
The United States Geological Survey PAGER system, an automatic way to rapidly attempt to assess the impact of an earthquake, estimated that there would most likely be between 100 and 1000 fatalities, and that the quake would likely cause between 1 and 10 billion dollars in economic losses.
NPR reported that gas leaks were reported across the city with fires causing some of them.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have pledged their assistance to Mexico.
