IndiaToday.in | Edited by Dev Goswami
New Delhi, September 21, 2017 | UPDATED 02:30 IST
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that all Indians in Mexico are safe after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake devastated the country, killing at least 225 people. India stands with Mexico in this hour of grief, Sushma said.
Sushma Swaraj says.No Indians are among the at least 225 people killed after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake devastated Mexico on Wednesday. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who expressed condolences to the family of those killed, said she has spoken to the Indian ambassador in Mexico and that all Indians are safe.
"India stands with Mexico in this hour of grief, Swaraj, who is currently in the United States for the annual United Nations General Assembly session, said in a tweet, tagging her Mexican counterpart Luis Videgaray Caso.
Rescue workers in Mexico have been working relentlessly in the aftermath of Wednesday's devastating tremblor that struck on the anniversary of a far-larger 1985 earthquake that killed thousands of people in the South American country.
My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the second earthquake in Mexico @LVidegaray 1/2
- Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) September 20, 2017
More than 50 people were rescued in the capital, Mexico City, alone as the government raced against time to extricate people from collapsed buildings. "The priority continues to be rescuing people from collapsed buildings and taking care of the injured," said President Enrique Pena Nieto. "Every minute counts."
Offering a small glimmer of hope amid all the destruction was an ongoing operation to rescue a young girl located under the debris partially collapsed school in Mexico City. Workers, who have been trying to rescue the girl for hours, first spotted her moving her hand under the rubble.
Television network Televisa broadcast the nailbiting rescue attempt live after crews at the school reported finding the girl and threaded a hose through debris to get her water 24 hours after the quake. The girl was at the same school where at least 20 children died following Wednesday's earthquake.
Mexico City was the worst hit, recording at least 93 deaths. Residents of the capital, home to some 20 million people, slept in the streets while authorities and volunteers distributed food and water at tented collection centres.
Meanwhile, a three-day mourning period was declared in Mexico by President Pena Nieto. The official Twitter account for the office of the Presidency announced the declaration, saying that "Mexico shares your pain."
Wednesday's earthquake proved to be a double whammy for Mexico, which was still recovering from a deadly earthquake that hit earlier this month. The September 7, 8.1 magnitude quake killed nearly 100 people.
Experts indicated that Wednesday's earthquake was unlikely to be an aftershock of the quake from a fortnight ago.
(With inputs from AP and Reuters)
WATCH | Drone footage captures rescue op in Mexico City following deadly earthquake (courtesy: YouTube/Ruptly TV)
