Mexico earthquake

Rescuers in grim search for survivors

 MEXICO CITY: Mexico waited anxiously Thursday for signs of life at a collapsed school in the capital, as rescuers continued clawing through rubble for survivors of a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 233 people, reports AFP.

Firefighters, police, soldiers and volunteers worked frantically to remove debris in scenes repeated across a swath of central states in Mexico's second killer earthquake this month.

The most agonizing search was at a school in the south of Mexico City where 21 children -- aged between seven and 13 -- and five adults were crushed to death. Many children were still missing.

Rescue workers were desperately trying to reach several children believed to be alive beneath the wreckage in the early hours of Thursday -- more than 40 hours after the quake struck. Using a thermal scanner, they had located signs of life in several locations.

"We know that there is a child alive inside (the destroyed school), what we do not know is how to reach her... without risking a collapse and putting rescuers in danger," rescue coordinator Jose Luis Vergara told Televisa about a young girl whose fate is being closely followed by the country.

A civilian volunteer -- a slight man -- was able to squeeze into a narrow channel through the rubble to reach the girl and pass her water and oxygen.  "I'm very tired," she said, according to the military.

So far, 11 children and at least one teacher have been rescued from the rubble of the Enrique Rebsamen elementary and middle school. "No one can possibly imagine the pain I'm in right now," said one mother, Adriana Fargo, who was standing outside what remained of the school waiting for news of her seven-year-old daughter.

In the Condesa neighborhood, Karen Guzman sat on a stool in the street with her back to one of the collapsed buildings. She said she could not bear the tension of the search for around 30 people thought to be under the rubble, among them her brother.

Beside her were two street poles tagged with lists of rescued people, but they did not include the name of her brother Juan Antonio, a 43-year-old accountant who worked on the top floor of the four-story building.

"My mom is looking for him in hospitals because we don't trust those lists. Sometimes I think nobody knows anything," she said.  

Emergency workers reported that some victims had been rescued thanks to WhatsApp messages they sent to relatives while trapped under the debris.

Rescue teams were helped by thousands of ordinary civilians who dug through the rubble alongside them. Other Mexicans took to the streets with food and water for victims and emergency workers.

President Enrique Pena Nieto toured the hardest-hit areas and declared three days of national mourning. "The priority remains saving lives," he said in a national address, insisting there was still hope of pulling survivors from the rubble.

Mexico earthquake

Rescuers in grim search for survivors

MEXICO CITY: Mexico waited anxiously Thursday for signs of life at a collapsed school in the capital, as rescuers continued clawing through rubble for survivors of a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 233 people, reports AFP. Firefighters, police, soldiers and volunteers worked frantically to remove debris in scenes repeated across a swath of central states in Mexicos second killer earthquake this month. The most agonizing search was at a school in the south of Mexico City where 21 children -- aged between seven and 13 -- and five adults were crushed to death. Many children were still missing. Rescue workers were desperately trying to reach several children believed to be alive beneath the wreckage in the early hours of Thursday -- more than 40 hours after the quake struck. Using a thermal scanner, they had located signs of life in several locations. We know that there is a child alive inside (the destroyed school), what we do not know is how to reach her... without risking a collapse and putting rescuers in danger, rescue coordinator Jose Luis Vergara told Televisa about a young girl whose fate is being closely followed by the country. A civilian volunteer -- a slight man -- was able to squeeze into a narrow channel through the rubble to reach the girl and pass her water and oxygen. Im very tired, she said, according to the military. So far, 11 children and at least one teacher have been rescued from the rubble of the Enrique Rebsamen elementary and middle school. No one can possibly imagine the pain Im in right now, said one mother, Adriana Fargo, who was standing outside what remained of the school waiting for news of her seven-year-old daughter. In the Condesa neighborhood, Karen Guzman sat on a stool in the street with her back to one of the collapsed buildings. She said she could not bear the tension of the search for around 30 people thought to be under the rubble, among them her brother. Beside her were two street poles tagged with lists of rescued people, but they did not include the name of her brother Juan Antonio, a 43-year-old accountant who worked on the top floor of the four-story building. My mom is looking for him in hospitals because we dont trust those lists. Sometimes I think nobody knows anything, she said. Emergency workers reported that some victims had been rescued thanks to WhatsApp messages they sent to relatives while trapped under the debris. Rescue teams were helped by thousands of ordinary civilians who dug through the rubble alongside them. Other Mexicans took to the streets with food and water for victims and emergency workers. President Enrique Pena Nieto toured the hardest-hit areas and declared three days of national mourning. The priority remains saving lives, he said in a national address, insisting there was still hope of pulling survivors from the rubble.