Powerful magnitude 7.1 quake rattles Mexico City, kills over 200

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City on Tuesday, killing more than 200 people and causing widespread panic.

The powerful quake struck at 1.14 p.m. local time (1814GMT) 122 kilometers (76 miles) southeast of the capital at a depth of 51 km (32 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Local media reported collapsed buildings in Mexico City as well as severe damage in regions to the south.

Rescue operations initially focused on schools, where many students were believed to have been trapped, the English language Mexico News Daily website said.

The site reported that Cuauhtemoc, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Mexico City, was worst hit and said borough chief Ricardo Monreal had called for it be declared a disaster area.

Transport links were disrupted, with some lines on the city's metro system not operating due to electrical shortages and the Mexico City-Acapulco highway was damaged.

Flights were suspended at Mexico City International Airport.

Images on social media showed buildings collapsing, swaying or shaking and a fire and explosion in the capital.

The deadly tremor came on the anniversary of a 1985 earthquake that left more than 10,000 dead and destroyed a large part of the city.

The latest quake occurred hours after an annual drill for the earthquake-prone city, sending residents pouring into the streets for a second time.
MAJOR EARTHQUAKES OF THE PAST 30 YEARS
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake has struck central Mexico, killing at least 140 people on the anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake.

Here are some of the most significant earthquakes of the last 30 years.

-- Sept 7, 2017: A quake strikes the southern part of Mexico, killing 96 people. Seismological authorities measured the quake at 8.2, surpassing the 8.1-quake that killed 10,000 people in Mexico City in 1985.

-- Jan 18, 2017 - Four earthquakes hit central Italy. About three hours later, an avalanche slams into a hotel on the eastern slopes of Monte Gran Sasso, burying the structure in rock and snow and killing 29 people.

-- August 8, 2017: A relatively shallow 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattles northwest China, followed by two smaller aftershocks. Twenty-four people killed.

-- August 24, 2016: A quake with a magnitude of up to 6.2 hits villages in central Italy, killing nearly 300 people. The tremor was felt in Rome, 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the epicentre near Amatrice.

-- April 16, 2016: A 7.8-magnitude quake strikes Ecuador, killing 673 people and levelling thousands of buildings up and down the coast.

-- February, 2016: A 6.4-magnitude quake hit Taiwan's Tainan. More than 100 people are killed after a building collapses.

-- October 26, 2015: A powerful 7.5-magnitude quake strikes Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region and is felt through much of South Asia.

-- April 25, 2015: A 7.8 magnitude quake in Nepal kills almost 8,900 people and destroys about half a million homes. A massive aftershock with a magnitude of 7.3 follows in May, killing dozens more.

-- August 11, 2012: Twin earthquakes with magnitude 6.3 and 6.4 leave 306 dead and more than 3,000 injured near the Iranian city of Tabriz.

-- March 11, 2011: Around 18,500 are killed when a tsunami triggered by a massive magnitude 9.1 undersea quake slams into the northeast coast of Japan, triggering a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant.

-- October 23, 2011: An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude rocks eastern Turkey, leaving more than 600 dead and at least 4,150 injured.

-- January 12, 2010: Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Haiti, leaving between 250,000 and 300,000 dead.

-- April 14, 2010: A 6.9-magnitude quake hits Yushu county in northwest China's Qinghai province leaving 3,000 people dead and missing.

-- May 12, 2008: A quake measuring 8.0 hits China's southwest province of Sichuan, leaving more than 87,000 people dead or missing.

-- May 27, 2006: A powerful quake in Indonesia's Yogyakarta region kills 6,000 and leaves 1.5 million homeless.

-- October 8, 2005: An earthquake of 7.6 magnitude kills more than 75,000 people, the vast majority of them in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and the Pakistani-administered zone of Kashmir state. Some 3.5 million are displaced.

-- March 28, 2005: An earthquake on Indonesia's Nias island off Sumatra leaves 900 dead.

-- December 26, 2004: A magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggers a tsunami that kills 220,000 in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.

-- December 26, 2003: A quake measuring 6.7 hits the Iranian city of Bam, killing at least 31,884 people and injuring 18,000.

-- January 26, 2001: A massive 7.7 earthquake hits the western Indian state of Gujarat, killing 25,000 people and injuring 166,000.

-- September 30, 1993: A 6.3-magnitude quake hits the western Indian state of Maharashtra, killing 7,601.

-- October 20, 1991: A quake measuring 6.6 hits the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh state in India, killing 768.

-- August 20, 1988: A magnitude 6.8 quake hits eastern Nepal, killing 721 people in Nepal and at least 277 in the neighbouring Indian state of Bihar.

- CONDOLENCES
In a statement, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said: "We are saddened by the earthquake… We share the grief of the Mexican people, extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wish recovery to the injured."

Turkey has experienced severe earthquakes, most recently the 1999 Izmit quake that left more than 17,000 dead and destroyed towns and cities.

"While reiterating our strong solidarity with the Mexican government and friendly people of Mexico, we express Turkey's readiness to provide support with all possible means to Mexico if needed," the statement added.

U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders to voice his support. "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you," he tweeted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin extended condolences to his Mexican counterpart and conveyed his words of sympathy to the families of those killed by the earthquake and wished a quick recovery to the injured, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia is ready to provide the necessary assistance to friendly Mexico in overcoming the consequences of this natural disaster," it added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted: "Devastating news from Mexico City. My thoughts are with those affected by today's earthquake - Canada will be ready to help our friends."