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| Mexico Earthquake Kills Hundreds, Trapping Many Under Rubble | Mexico Earthquake Kills Hundreds, Trapping Many Under Rubble |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| MEXICO CITY — A powerful earthquake struck Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, toppling buildings, killing children in a school that collapsed, rattling the capital and sending people flooding into the streets for the second time in just two weeks. | MEXICO CITY — A powerful earthquake struck Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, toppling buildings, killing children in a school that collapsed, rattling the capital and sending people flooding into the streets for the second time in just two weeks. |
| Early Wednesday, the director of Mexico’s civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puente, said on Twitter that 216 people had been killed, revising an earlier toll of 248. Ninety-four people were confirmed dead in Mexico City, officials said. | |
| Rescuers were frantically digging out people trapped under rubble, including the children buried beneath their school, volunteers at the scene said Tuesday night. At least 21 students were believed to have been killed in the collapse of the school. | Rescuers were frantically digging out people trapped under rubble, including the children buried beneath their school, volunteers at the scene said Tuesday night. At least 21 students were believed to have been killed in the collapse of the school. |
| The earthquake hit shortly after 1 p.m. about 100 miles from Mexico City. It registered a preliminary magnitude of 7.1, causing heavy and prolonged shaking in the capital. | The earthquake hit shortly after 1 p.m. about 100 miles from Mexico City. It registered a preliminary magnitude of 7.1, causing heavy and prolonged shaking in the capital. |
| About 40 buildings and other structures in Mexico City collapsed, including at least one other school, officials said, crushing cars and trapping people inside. Emergency workers and ordinary citizens raced to the site of downed office and apartment buildings, lifting rubble with their hands to free anyone stuck underneath. | |
| Tuesday’s earthquake struck on the 32nd anniversary of another major disaster: the 1985 quake that killed as many as 10,000 people in Mexico. | Tuesday’s earthquake struck on the 32nd anniversary of another major disaster: the 1985 quake that killed as many as 10,000 people in Mexico. |
| It also came less than two weeks after the most powerful earthquake in Mexico in a century, an 8.1 magnitude quake that killed at least 90 people, destroyed thousands of homes and was felt by tens of millions of people. | It also came less than two weeks after the most powerful earthquake in Mexico in a century, an 8.1 magnitude quake that killed at least 90 people, destroyed thousands of homes and was felt by tens of millions of people. |
| Residents in Mexico City, having just experienced shaking from that quake, said the tremors on Tuesday were far worse. | Residents in Mexico City, having just experienced shaking from that quake, said the tremors on Tuesday were far worse. |
| “It’s like Sodom and Gomorrah, like God is angry at us,” said Jorge Ortiz Diaz, 66, a government employee who was assisting with the rescues on Tuesday, his eyes filling with tears. “Now is the moment when solidarity begins.” | “It’s like Sodom and Gomorrah, like God is angry at us,” said Jorge Ortiz Diaz, 66, a government employee who was assisting with the rescues on Tuesday, his eyes filling with tears. “Now is the moment when solidarity begins.” |
| The scene at the collapsed school, Colegio Enrique Rebsamen in the southern part of the capital, was one of total anguish Tuesday night, as hundreds of volunteers clamored to unearth children they hoped were still alive beneath the structure’s ruins. Dozens of workers carting megaphones called out contradictory instructions, while others yelled for resources like batteries, flashlights and diesel fuel. | The scene at the collapsed school, Colegio Enrique Rebsamen in the southern part of the capital, was one of total anguish Tuesday night, as hundreds of volunteers clamored to unearth children they hoped were still alive beneath the structure’s ruins. Dozens of workers carting megaphones called out contradictory instructions, while others yelled for resources like batteries, flashlights and diesel fuel. |
| Volunteers kept lists of every dead child’s name that was confirmed by the rescuers as they emerged from the wreckage. Frenzied parents paced the scene, wondering about the fates of their sons and daughters or screaming in agony upon seeing their bodies. | Volunteers kept lists of every dead child’s name that was confirmed by the rescuers as they emerged from the wreckage. Frenzied parents paced the scene, wondering about the fates of their sons and daughters or screaming in agony upon seeing their bodies. |
| In parts of the city, the wreckage was evident immediately, including damage to the main airport. Shattered glass and the splintered edges of buildings spilled onto sidewalks. Nearly all residents of the capital remained outside even after the shaking had faded, fearful of returning to their buildings. | In parts of the city, the wreckage was evident immediately, including damage to the main airport. Shattered glass and the splintered edges of buildings spilled onto sidewalks. Nearly all residents of the capital remained outside even after the shaking had faded, fearful of returning to their buildings. |
| In the neighborhood of Roma Norte, an entire office building collapsed. Rescuers scrambled to save people caught in the rubble. Several of the injured were whisked away in ambulances. Others lay on the ground covered in dust. An unknown number remained trapped or crushed inside. | In the neighborhood of Roma Norte, an entire office building collapsed. Rescuers scrambled to save people caught in the rubble. Several of the injured were whisked away in ambulances. Others lay on the ground covered in dust. An unknown number remained trapped or crushed inside. |
| Talia Hernández, 28, was on the second floor of the building, taking a tattoo class. When the earthquake hit and tore through the structure, she said, she rolled down the stairs as they were collapsing. She managed to escape the building but broke her foot. | Talia Hernández, 28, was on the second floor of the building, taking a tattoo class. When the earthquake hit and tore through the structure, she said, she rolled down the stairs as they were collapsing. She managed to escape the building but broke her foot. |
| “I can’t believe I’m alive,” she said, weeping and in shock as medics pulled shards of glass from her foot. | “I can’t believe I’m alive,” she said, weeping and in shock as medics pulled shards of glass from her foot. |
| Ms. Hernández said other people had also managed to flee, but even the perimeter of the building remained dangerous. The heavy smell of leaking gas permeated the air, as it did across damaged parts of the city. Emergency personnel at the scene were pushing bystanders away, fearing an explosion. | Ms. Hernández said other people had also managed to flee, but even the perimeter of the building remained dangerous. The heavy smell of leaking gas permeated the air, as it did across damaged parts of the city. Emergency personnel at the scene were pushing bystanders away, fearing an explosion. |
| The scene was cordoned off, and the injured were being carted away on gurneys and placed in ambulances. The building itself was unrecognizable — it had fallen entirely. The rubble, a brown cement, rose nearly 20 feet high. The neighboring building was partly torn in the collapse as well. | The scene was cordoned off, and the injured were being carted away on gurneys and placed in ambulances. The building itself was unrecognizable — it had fallen entirely. The rubble, a brown cement, rose nearly 20 feet high. The neighboring building was partly torn in the collapse as well. |
| Angela Cota, 52, an administrative secretary who worked in the building on the first floor, said that just as she and others were fleeing, parts of the building fell around them. They, too, managed to get out, but it was unclear how many people remained stuck beneath the rubble. | Angela Cota, 52, an administrative secretary who worked in the building on the first floor, said that just as she and others were fleeing, parts of the building fell around them. They, too, managed to get out, but it was unclear how many people remained stuck beneath the rubble. |
| Gabriela Hernández, 28, lay on a gurney, covered in blood and nearly speechless. Her boyfriend stood beside her, clutching her IV bag. The blood was not hers, they said; it belonged to someone who had fallen on top of her when the building went down. She said she had been on the sixth floor when it happened, yet managed to escape. | Gabriela Hernández, 28, lay on a gurney, covered in blood and nearly speechless. Her boyfriend stood beside her, clutching her IV bag. The blood was not hers, they said; it belonged to someone who had fallen on top of her when the building went down. She said she had been on the sixth floor when it happened, yet managed to escape. |
| The scene grew frantic as dozens of medical workers, police officers and firefighters shouted to see what people needed. They were hastily trying to make a pulley system to free people still trapped near the top of the rubble heap. Construction workers from a nearby site raced to the scene and lined up to help, bearing long wooden poles to help lift pieces of the structure. | The scene grew frantic as dozens of medical workers, police officers and firefighters shouted to see what people needed. They were hastily trying to make a pulley system to free people still trapped near the top of the rubble heap. Construction workers from a nearby site raced to the scene and lined up to help, bearing long wooden poles to help lift pieces of the structure. |
| Buildings also collapsed across the neighborhood of Condesa, another fashionable district in the city constructed atop soft soil and extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. Outside, thousands and thousands stood in the streets, avenues and sidewalks, filling the popular neighborhoods with a sense of dread. | Buildings also collapsed across the neighborhood of Condesa, another fashionable district in the city constructed atop soft soil and extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. Outside, thousands and thousands stood in the streets, avenues and sidewalks, filling the popular neighborhoods with a sense of dread. |
| On Laredo Street, an entire eight-story apartment building had fallen into the road, leaving an enormous heap of concrete and rubble pouring into the street. At least 100 people stood atop the pile clearing it by hand, piece by piece, passing boulders and twisted steel pipes along a human chain that radiated from the heap like spokes. | On Laredo Street, an entire eight-story apartment building had fallen into the road, leaving an enormous heap of concrete and rubble pouring into the street. At least 100 people stood atop the pile clearing it by hand, piece by piece, passing boulders and twisted steel pipes along a human chain that radiated from the heap like spokes. |
| The sound of shouts filled the air, men barking orders at one another. Then came a call for silence — to listen for the voices of anyone trapped inside, screaming for help. | The sound of shouts filled the air, men barking orders at one another. Then came a call for silence — to listen for the voices of anyone trapped inside, screaming for help. |
| Standing on the sidewalk, Salomón Chertorivski, the secretary of economic development for Mexico City, said he believed that 10 people were trapped inside the structure. The rumble of a backhoe digging into the building’s remains and the whir of helicopters overhead dominated. A stretcher was passed up to the top of the heap. | Standing on the sidewalk, Salomón Chertorivski, the secretary of economic development for Mexico City, said he believed that 10 people were trapped inside the structure. The rumble of a backhoe digging into the building’s remains and the whir of helicopters overhead dominated. A stretcher was passed up to the top of the heap. |
| “Whoever isn’t helping, leave,” one worker shouted to no one in particular. | “Whoever isn’t helping, leave,” one worker shouted to no one in particular. |
| Witnesses had watched in horror as people tried to escape before the building collapsed. | Witnesses had watched in horror as people tried to escape before the building collapsed. |
| “It fell straight down,” said Moises Escobar, 25, a recent college graduate. “There was a lot of smoke and dust.” | “It fell straight down,” said Moises Escobar, 25, a recent college graduate. “There was a lot of smoke and dust.” |
| Workers continued their mad scramble to pull those from the wreckage. A man raced down Amsterdam Street, looking for tools. | Workers continued their mad scramble to pull those from the wreckage. A man raced down Amsterdam Street, looking for tools. |
| “Saws, hacksaws — anything to cut wood and metal,” he screamed. | “Saws, hacksaws — anything to cut wood and metal,” he screamed. |
| Someone returned from a nearby building with a hacksaw and handed it to him, and he prepared to sprint back to the mound. | Someone returned from a nearby building with a hacksaw and handed it to him, and he prepared to sprint back to the mound. |
| “I work near here, but we have to help,” he said. “It’s our country.” | “I work near here, but we have to help,” he said. “It’s our country.” |
| That collective spirit filled the disaster site, as neighbors and those passing by joined to help. | That collective spirit filled the disaster site, as neighbors and those passing by joined to help. |
| Alexia Meza, 23, was in a nearby building when the collapse occurred. “You could hear the screams,” she said. | Alexia Meza, 23, was in a nearby building when the collapse occurred. “You could hear the screams,” she said. |
| She raced into the crowd surrounding the fallen building, her arms raised to collect whatever debris workers were passing down to clear from the site. | She raced into the crowd surrounding the fallen building, her arms raised to collect whatever debris workers were passing down to clear from the site. |
| The epicenters of Tuesday’s earthquake and the larger one on Sept. 7 were more than 400 miles apart, but they both occurred in a region where one of the earth’s crustal plates, the Cocos, is sliding beneath another, the North American. | The epicenters of Tuesday’s earthquake and the larger one on Sept. 7 were more than 400 miles apart, but they both occurred in a region where one of the earth’s crustal plates, the Cocos, is sliding beneath another, the North American. |
| Paul Earle, a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey, said it was too early to say whether there was any connection between the two quakes. Although the first was much stronger, the one on Tuesday was much closer to Mexico City, causing more damage in the capital. | Paul Earle, a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey, said it was too early to say whether there was any connection between the two quakes. Although the first was much stronger, the one on Tuesday was much closer to Mexico City, causing more damage in the capital. |
| There were also reports of deaths and extensive damage in Jojutla de Juárez, Morelos, a city about 60 miles west of the epicenter. Residents said that many buildings, including businesses and homes, had been destroyed. Electricity was cut, and water was scarce because water tanks — many located above ground or on rooftops — ruptured or cracked. | There were also reports of deaths and extensive damage in Jojutla de Juárez, Morelos, a city about 60 miles west of the epicenter. Residents said that many buildings, including businesses and homes, had been destroyed. Electricity was cut, and water was scarce because water tanks — many located above ground or on rooftops — ruptured or cracked. |
| President Enrique Peña Nieto said on Twitter that he had been flying to Oaxaca at the time of the earthquake and had immediately returned to Mexico City. Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Peña Nieto attended a memorial service for those killed in the 1985 earthquake. | President Enrique Peña Nieto said on Twitter that he had been flying to Oaxaca at the time of the earthquake and had immediately returned to Mexico City. Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Peña Nieto attended a memorial service for those killed in the 1985 earthquake. |
| Emotions ran high as everyone waited for people to be pulled from the fractured structure in the Roma Norte neighborhood. Tearful outbursts clashed with shouts for help and the din of trucks and crews working feverishly. | Emotions ran high as everyone waited for people to be pulled from the fractured structure in the Roma Norte neighborhood. Tearful outbursts clashed with shouts for help and the din of trucks and crews working feverishly. |
| Hours after the building fell, emergency personnel pulled Laura Rita Bernal Torres, 36, out of the rubble — alive. | Hours after the building fell, emergency personnel pulled Laura Rita Bernal Torres, 36, out of the rubble — alive. |
| She had been in the same tattoo class as Ms. Hernández, on the second floor. As she emerged, a round of applause erupted from the hundreds of workers and rescuers nearby. | She had been in the same tattoo class as Ms. Hernández, on the second floor. As she emerged, a round of applause erupted from the hundreds of workers and rescuers nearby. |
| “I can’t feel my legs,” she said. A block of concrete had fallen on her back. | “I can’t feel my legs,” she said. A block of concrete had fallen on her back. |
| Ms. Bernal then began to sob, asking about the fate of her classmate, Ms. Hernández, who was trapped beside her in the building. She figured she must have been killed. | Ms. Bernal then began to sob, asking about the fate of her classmate, Ms. Hernández, who was trapped beside her in the building. She figured she must have been killed. |
| When a New York Times reporter told her that Ms. Hernández had in fact made it out alive, Ms. Bernal began weeping anew. | When a New York Times reporter told her that Ms. Hernández had in fact made it out alive, Ms. Bernal began weeping anew. |
| “I can’t believe it,” she cried. “Thank God!” | “I can’t believe it,” she cried. “Thank God!” |
| More survivors emerged from the debris. Ernesto Sota Senderos, a 64-year-old engineer, was pulled out unconscious. But his son was still trapped inside the building. Others with loved ones inside urged rescuers to persist. | More survivors emerged from the debris. Ernesto Sota Senderos, a 64-year-old engineer, was pulled out unconscious. But his son was still trapped inside the building. Others with loved ones inside urged rescuers to persist. |
| “You can do this,” screamed a man in a suit as he ran beside a gurney. “Fight for your life, please!” | “You can do this,” screamed a man in a suit as he ran beside a gurney. “Fight for your life, please!” |