More than 290 dead in Mexico quake, race for survivors

Saturday, September 23, 2017, 10:44 AM - It's a race against time for rescuers and civilian volunteers searching for survivors following the powerful quake that struck central Mexico earlier this week.

The quake, a magnitude 7.1 tremor, had an epicentre some 12 km from Axochiapan, a city in the state of Morelos, at a depth of 51 km. Its impact was felt further north in Mexico City, with office buildings collapsed and homes left uninhabitable. 

Along the roughly 290 dead are at least 20 children at a school in Mexico City that collapsed on Thursday. In the country's capital, one of the most populated worldwide, many have been left homeless, and Reuters reports that around 20,000 are living in makeshift tent communities throughout the nearby Morelos and Puebla states.

Watch below: Journalist's home sways during Mexico earthquake

The quake was strongest felt near Cuernavaca, where it was reported to have caused moderate to heavy damage and severe shaking. Several people tweeted it was felt as far away as Los Angeles, California.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has declared three days of mourning for the country, amid widespread damage in the capital and other cities.

The BBC reports more than 200 schools were affected by the quake, 15 severely damaged. Elsewhere, 18 people died in a church collapse in the state of Puebla.

The quake follows shortly after one that was the strongest in 85 years, an 8.1 magnitude quake that struck on Sept. 8 and killed at least 65 people. The first quake was located 87 km away from the town of Pijijiapan in the southeastern state of Chiapas and prompted three days of mourning.

Coincidentally, on Sept. 19, 1985, exactly 32 years earlier, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck west of Mexico City, resulting in extensive damage and thousands of deaths. Tuesday's quake happened shortly after many Mexicans had taken part in an earthquake drill to commemorate the 1985 tremor.

Due to being built upon an ancient, dry lake bed, Mexico City is particularly vulnerable to damage from earthquakes, as the silt, sand and mud easily move once the bedrock underneath starts to shake. 

In Photos: Devastation in the heart of Mexico

Stay tuned for updates.

SOURCES: BBC | Thumbnail image license | Reuters