Summary

  • A huge earthquake has killed more than 200 people in central Mexico

  • Almost half of those killed died in the capital, Mexico City

  • A school in Mexico City's Coapa district collapsed, killing at least 30 people, mostly children

  • Hundreds of volunteers have joined emergency services in the search for survivors

  • The magnitude 7.1 quake had its epicentre in Puebla, south-east of the capital

  • Four thousand troops have been brought in to help

  1. Rescue efforts continue into the nightpublished at 05:18 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Rescuers, firefighters, policemen, soldiers and volunteers continue removing with the help of searchlights the rubble and debris from a flattened building in search of survivors after a powerful quake in Mexico City on 19 September 2017.Image source, AFP/Getty Images
    Image caption,

    As dusk falls in Mexico, rescuers continue to look for survivors using searchlights

  2. Triggering memoriespublished at 05:03 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    The earthquake, which struck on exactly the same day as a devastating 1985 tremor that killed 10,000 people, has triggered traumatic memories for many in Mexico. One resident, Georgina Sanchez, was sobbing as she told AFP news agency: "I'm so worried. I can't stop crying. It's the same nightmare as in 1985." Another resident said: "It's just not possible that this happened also on September 19."

  3. 'Silencio'published at 04:44 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    A man holds up a sign that reads "silence" as rescue personnel look for people underneath the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico 19 September 2017.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Rescuers searching for survivors in the rubble have been holding up signs urging onlookers to keep silent, so that they can better listen out for signs of life

  4. 'Big hug'published at 04:41 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Former US president Barack Obama has tweeted on the Mexican earthquake, adding in Spanish: "Take care of yourselves and a big hug for everyone".

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  5. Earthquake trends on Twitterpublished at 04:35 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    As many take to Twitter to discuss the tremor, quake-related hashtags have begun trending worldwide on the social media platform, including #sismo (earthquake), Mexico, and CDMX (a reference to Mexico City).

    Screenshot of Twitter's worldwide trendsImage source, Twitter
  6. Aftershocks rock Mexicopublished at 04:28 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Mexico's national seismology service has tweeted that as of 20:30 local time (01:30 Thursday GMT), it detected 11 aftershocks, with the largest registering a magnitude of 4.0.

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  7. Emergency backpackpublished at 04:18 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    The head of Mexico's civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puete, has warned of the possibility of aftershocks and is urging people to prepare emergency backpacks with supplies, adding: "If you do not have it, prepare it!"

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  8. Death toll jumps to 149published at 04:03 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Mexican authorities have revised the latest figures for various areas.

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  9. Scenes of panic at school collapsepublished at 04:01 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    A reporter with television network Telemundo captured footage , externalof the immediate aftermath of the Enrique Rebsamen school collapse in Mexico City, showing panicked people running as well as others climbing into the rubble. Clips of the footage have since been circulating online.

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  10. Children killed in school collapsepublished at 03:32 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Local media say children have been killed in a collapse at the Enrique Rebsamen school in Coapa, Mexico City. Eight children and one teacher have died, and 11 students remain trapped, reports newspaper El Universal, external.

  11. Sniffing out survivorspublished at 03:15 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Rescuers with a sniffer dog search for survivors buried under the rubble and debris of a building flattened by a 7.1-magnitude quake in Mexico City on 19 September 2017Image source, AFP/Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Rescuers in Mexico City are combing the rubble with sniffer dogs as they search for survivors

  12. 'Walls coming apart'published at 02:59 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Eyewitnesses have spoken of the terror that engulfed their cities as the quake struck. In Puebla, banker Jesus Gonzalez Hernandez told Reuters news agency that he saw "walls coming apart" as he rushed down the stairs of his building. Meanwhile university student Jevon Minto said he had just sat down in class when "the place started shaking hard, real hard...You can literally feel the fear and the panic in this city."

  13. In picturespublished at 02:49 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Here are some images of the devastation wrought by the earthquake.

    Mexico EarthquakeImage source, AFP
    Mexico earthquakeImage source, AFP
    Mexico earthquakeImage source, Reuters
  14. Mexico's civil protection chief tweetspublished at 02:36 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    The head of Mexico's civil protection agency has tweeted the latest death toll - 139 - and has also given a breakdown of the locations of the deaths. CDMX is a reference to Mexico City, and Edomex refers to the State of Mexico.

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  15. 'The desperation here is mounting'published at 02:25 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    More from BBC Mundo reporter Juan Paullier:

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  16. Death toll rises to 138published at 02:04 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Mexico's civil protection agency says the death toll has risen to at least 138. This includes 64 reported deaths in Morelos state and 36 in Mexico City.

  17. Free public transportpublished at 01:56 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Mr Del Mazo also announces that buses will continue to be free.

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  18. Schools to be closedpublished at 01:52 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    Mexico state governor Alfredo del Mazo has ordered school classes to be suspended on Wednesday in the State of Mexico, for their facilities to be to checked.

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  19. 'There are gas leaks and people under the rubble'published at 01:32 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    BBC Mundo reporter Juan Paullier is in Mexico City, and has been tweeting about what he's seen on the streets.

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  20. Thousands throng streets after quakepublished at 01:16 British Summer Time 20 September 2017

    People crowd Reforma avenue after a strong earthquake in Mexico City on September 19, 2017Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Many people felt safer on the streets in Mexico City after the earthquake struck