140 killed, 22 injured as deadliest earthquake in 30 yrs rocks Mexico

The deadliest tremor to have hit Mexico in the last 30-years occurred hours ago after a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the central part of the country killing no less than 140 people among which were 23 children from from one school.

Scores of buildings collapsed into mounds of rubble or were severely damaged in densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby states.

“At the moment..149 [are] deceased,” the director of the government’s civil protection service, Luis Felipe Puente, tweeted late on Tuesday.

He said there were 49 deaths in Mexico City.

Read also: Death toll from Mexico’s earthquake rises to 60, with 200 injured

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor on Tuesday struck eight kilometres southeast of Atencingo in the central state of Puebla, some 120km from the capital, Mexico City.

10 days ago, Mexico was also hit with a 8.0 magnitude earthquake which rocked the coastal province of Mexico killing 60 people with reports indicating that over 200 people were left injured.

According to reports, the earthquake triggered tsunami warnings in several countries and caused people to flee into the street with buildings swayed and lights going out in Mexico City, some 650 miles from the epicenter.

 

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