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

Live Reporting

Gareth Evans and Claudia Allen

  1. 'My classroom wall fell'

    Something that started as a tremor quickly kind of escalated into something where the classroom shook. The students were fantastic, very quick, very responsive. But as we were leaving the classroom the outside of my classroom wall fell, so there was a big pile of rubble. Luckily, fantastically, nobody was hurt, but it was incredibly frightening. Really, really frightening.

    Jennifer Swaddle, Teacher, British International School, Mexico City

  2. Bridge collapse in Mexico City

    Mexican newspaper El Universal has tweeted a picture of a collapsed pedestrian bridge in the capital.

  3. Death toll rises to more than 100

    Officials in the capital say at least 30 people there have been killed, taking the total number of fatalities to 119.

    • 54 in Morelos state
    • 30 in Mexico City
    • 26 in Puebla state
    • 9 in Mexico State

  4. Desperate struggle to save lives

    James Cook
    BBC's North America Correspondent

    Across Mexico City and beyond, there is now a desperate struggle to save lives. In the minutes after the earthquake columns of dust rose into the air, hinting at the devastation. Mexico City is one of the most densely packed places on earth. More than 20 million people live in the metropolitan area and the huge tremor prompted panic when it struck around lunchtime. It is clear that the damage goes well beyond Mexico City. Earthquake alarms did sound but some residents apparently thought they were part of a day of drills on the anniversary of a devastating quake which killed thousands of people in Mexico City in 1985. Now the 19th of September will be remembered for two disasters.

  5. More than 90 now reported killed

    The governor of Puebla state has raised the death toll there to 26, taking the total number of fatalities to 93 - 54 in Morelos state, nine in Mexico State, four in Mexico City and 26 in Puebla state.

  6. 'We know there are survivors trapped inside'

    Natasha Pizzey, a journalist based in Mexico City, has told BBC 5 Live that rescuers are clawing at rubble with their bare hands in a bid to reach survivors.

    I'm about half a block from a multi-storey residential building that's collapsed. We know there are survivors inside. We haven't been able to get to them. There are hundreds of volunteers who've rushed to the scene, but as you can imagine it's pretty chaotic. People are physically grabbing rubble with their hands, passing it down huge chains. Others have pinched shopping trolleys from a local supermarket and are trying to rush rubble away from the scene.

  7. Death toll in Morelos raised to 54

    The number of people killed in the state of Morelos has been raised to 54, officials have said. That takes the total death toll so far to more than 70.

  8. Building's facade ripped off

    A damaged building in Mexico City, 19 SeptemberReuters

    The facade of a building in Mexico City was ripped off

  9. Death toll raised to 60

    Civil protection authorities in Puebla state have raised the number of fatalities there from two to six.

    The total now reported killed is 60 - Morelos state, 42; Mexico State, 8; Mexico City, 4; Puebla state, 6.

  10. Section of highway collapses

    A section of the Mexico-Acapulco highway has collapsed, El Universal newspaper tweets.

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  11. 'Everything fell down, it was crazy'

    Daniel Lieberson was staying on the 26th floor of the Hilton Hotel in Mexico City when the quake struck. He told the BBC the building had started swaying, sending glass and furniture crashing to the floor.

    The coffee machine and everything fell down, tables, it was really crazy. It only lasted, I don't know, 30 seconds, but it seemed forever. We had to go down the stairs, 26 floors on the stairs took quite a while. There were broken pipes, there was water leaking, we think the pool might have been leaking, so it was slippery going down, a couple of people were slipping. So, a lot of pandemonium.

  12. At least four dead in Mexico City - mayor

    Four deaths have been confirmed in Mexico City, the mayor has said.

    The governor of the State of Mexico has also raised the number of fatalities there from five to eight. The total number of people now reported killed is 56.

  13. Desperate phone calls

    Juan Paullier, BBC Mundo corespondent in Mexico, reports:

    Mexico City is a city sadly all too used to earthquakes but this one was especially powerful. It sent thousands of people into the streets. Trembling, shaking, crying and desperately trying to reach their loved over the phones.

    For them, luckily, it was just a big shock but as time passes it's clear that there are going to be dozens of victims. In one of the most affected areas of the capital I saw dozens of people desperately removing rubble as soon as possible because they believed someone was trapped.

  14. Canada ready to help - Trudeau

    The Canadian prime minister tweets...

  15. BBC reporter hit by debris

    The BBC World Service tweets...

  16. Help for the injured

    An injured woman is helped after a powerful quake in Mexico City on 19 SeptemberAFP

    A woman receives medical help in Mexico City

  17. More details of quake released

    The US Geological Survey has published details of the earthquake.

    "Located atop three of the large tectonic plates, Mexico is one of the world's most seismically active regions," it notes.

    "The relative motion of these crustal plates causes frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions."

    The quake of 19 September 1985, it recalls, was magnitude 8.1 and killed more than 9,500 people in Mexico City.

  18. President flies back to Mexico City

    President Enrique Peña Nieto has cancelled a visit to Oaxaca state and returned to the capital to oversee the disaster response, Mexican media report.

    He has convened a national emergency committee to assess the damage.

  19. Looking down on fallen buildings

    This phone footage shot from a height shows quake damage in Mexico City.

    Phone footage shows Mexico earthquake damage

  20. Fears of gas leaks

    Emergency services are warning people in Mexico City not to smoke on the streets because of the risk of broken gas pipes.

    Witnesses say people can be seen clambering over the rubble of collapsed buildings seeking victims or survivors.