Earthquake in Mexico: At Least 49 Killed After Powerful Quake of Magnitude 7.1 Topples Buildings

During the earthquake, at least 20 buildings in Mexico City collapsed.

Mexico City, Sept 20: At least 40 deaths were reported after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale has hit Mexico’s Morelos state, toppling buildings with people still inside. The death toll is expected to rise as many are still feared trapped beneath mounds of rubble. The earthquake occurred shortly after 1 p.m. local time about 100 miles from Mexico City. Residents were seen rushing out of the buildings due to the intensity of the earthquake.

During the earthquake, at least 20 buildings in Mexico City collapsed. Today’s earthquake occurred on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that did major damage to the capital and claimed as many as 10,000 lives. It also came less than two weeks after the most powerful earthquake in Mexico in a century, an 8.1 magnitude quake struck Mexico and Guatemala. At least 80 people died at that time.

“I’m so worried. I can’t stop crying. It’s the same nightmare as in 1985,” one resident in a plaza in the capital, Georgina Sanchez, 52, sobbed to AFP. Alfredo Aguilar, a 43-year-old resident, said the quake was “really strong — buildings started to move.” He added that he saw a woman who fainted. “People started to run.”

Este video muestra el colapso de parte de un edificio de la Secretaría del Trabajo. No tengo ubicación exacta. pic.twitter.com/CSsvHc6DC6

— Enrique Acevedo (@Enrique_Acevedo) September 19, 2017

The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico’s Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale. The institute said the quake’s epicentre was seven kilometres west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighbouring state of Puebla. Emergency officials warned people not to smoke in the street, warning of possible ruptured gas pipes.