A shopper in Mexico is lucky to be alive following the earthquake which struck yesterday afternoon, as this heart-stopping footage shows.
Video captured in Angelópolis Lifestyle Center, in the city of Puebla, shows how the woman cheats death twice in 20 seconds as the 7.1 magnitude quake hits.
She can be seen panicking as the quake starts, unsure of where to run before making her way into a large open area.
But moments later the glass roof above her head comes crashing down, with some large shards missing her by centimeters.
This is the heart-stopping moment a Mexican woman at a shopping mall in Peubla cheated death twice in 20 seconds after glass began falling (shards explode into blue dust, right)
Several large shards miss the woman by centimeters (left) prompting her to flee, moments before a huge pane crashes down precisely where she was standing
Fortunately the woman gathers her senses enough to flee, moments before a large pane comes crashing down where she was just standing.
Puebla is located just 40 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, and 43 people are said to have died there.
Fifteen of those were killed during mass when a church on the slopes of the Popocatepetl volcano collapsed during the service.
In total 248 people have been killed, with most of those deaths coming in nearby Mexico City, which has been badly affected.
More terrifying footage from the canals of Xochimilco, inside Mexico city, showed tourist boats being thrown about as the usually calm waters were turned into a frothing torrent when the tremor hit.
American tourist Alyne Tamir filmed on her phone as gondolas were thrown around.
While she can be heard saying ‘it’s not a good idea to be on this boat’, it seems she was one of the lucky ones as everybody seems to escape unhurt.
Elsewhere a newsreader had to interrupt his live broadcast as the earthquake struck, just days after another deadly disaster and hours after nationwide practice drills.
The anchor can be seen talking to the camera as the shaking starts, remaining remarkably calm even as the studio lights begin to flicker.
American Alyne Tamir captured the moment a river covered with tourist boats near Mexico City was turned into a frothing torrent as a 7.1 magnitude quake hit
While Tamir can be heard saying ‘it’s not a good idea to be on this boat’ it seems she was one of the lucky ones as 248 people died in the tremor, with the majority of those in Mexico City
But moments later he is sent running for cover as it becomes clear the city is experiencing a major earthquake.
Despite the terrifying situation he continues trying to speak to the audience, though the audio is badly affected by the shaking.
A series of other camera shots from around the city capture buildings shaking
Meanwhile another video showed buildings at the Tec De Monterrey university campus in Mexico City collapsing as students flee for their lives.
Dozens of young people can be seen piling into the streets as the roof of a building behind them comes loose and the facade falls away.
The earthquake also caught a news anchor in the middle of a broadcast, sending him running for cover as cameras and lights in the studio were thrown around
The newsreader initially remained calm even as the light flickered, but he was forced to leave the studio as it became apparent the city was experiencing a major earthquake
A split second later the building collapses in on itself. It is not clear if any students were inside at the time.
The Mexican government says a total of 209 schools were affected across the country by the quake, with 15 suffering ‘severe damage’.
Seismologists say the earthquake struck the Puebla region around 6.14pm local time at a depth of around 50km.
Luis Felipe Puente, the National Co-ordinator for Civil Protection, reported people killed across five states in central Mexico and more in Mexico City.
It comes just days after another quake hit the southern region of Chipas, killing at least 98 people, and on the anniversary of a major tremor in 1985.