This is the shocking moment a calm river in Mexico was turned into a frothing torrent when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the country on Monday
American tourist Alyne Tamir filmed on her phone as gondolas were thrown around on the choppy waters near Mexico City as the quake rumbled on.
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 at least 248 people were killed elsewhere.
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
At least 248 people have been killed in Mexico after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck 75 miles southeast of Mexico City on Monday afternoon. Pictured is a school that collapsed during the tremor
Rescue workers celebrate as they pull a child alive from the remains of Rebsamen School where at least 20 children have been confirmed dead. 30 children and eight adults are still reported to be missing here
Government workers and volunteers worked through the night to try and uncover those trapped in the rubble, urging each-other to be quiet as they listened for cries coming from beneath tons of concrete
The quake happened just hours after nationwide practice drills, days after an 8.1-magnitude tremor struck the south of the country, and on the anniversary of another deadly quake in 1985
Rescue workers and volunteers search a building that collapsed in the Colonia Obrera neighborhood of Mexico City after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Raboso, a town south of the capital
In Mexico City, the Enrique Rebsamen school (pictured) collapsed, killing 20 children and two adults
Thousands of people flooded into the ash-covered streets following the disaster as power was cut to 40 per cent of Mexico City, and 60 per cent of Mexico state
Rescue personnel and volunteers work on a four-story building that collapsed after an earthquake in Mexico City
Mexico City, which was 75 miles from the epicenter of the quake, bore the brunt of the damage with at least 117 people killed there.
That includes at least 20 children who perished when a school collapsed. Rescue workers were filmed searching the rubble of the school overnight, where at least 30 children and eight adults are still missing.
The tremor struck near the Puebla state town of Raboso and came on the anniversary of another devastating earthquake in 1985.
It also came just days after another 8.1-magnitude earthquake which struck Chipas, killed at least 98 people, and hours after nationwide emergency practice drills.
Horrifying images coming out of the country’s capital show rubble strewn across roads and enormous chunks of collapsed buildings laying on the ground with hundreds of terrified locals fleeing onto the streets.
Volunteer rescue worker Pedro Serrano, 29, a doctor, was one of the rescuers who managed to make it inside the collapsed school where he found a classroom with all of the occupants dead.
‘We dug holes, then crawled in on our bellies,’ Serrano said.
‘We managed to get into a collapsed classroom. We saw some chairs and wooden tables. The next thing we saw was a leg, and then we started to move rubble and we found a girl and two adults – a woman and a man.’
Asked if there was hope of finding anyone alive, Serrano looked weary but said workers were still trying despite the danger.
‘We can hear small noises, but we don’t know if they’re coming from above or below, from the walls above (crumbling), or someone below calling for help.’
On Tuesday night, Donald Trump said on Twitter: ‘God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you.’
His thoughts were echoed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said he was saddened by the loss of life and damage resulting from the earthquake in Mexico.
He extended his condolences to the government and people of Mexico and wished those injured a speedy recovery, according to a statement released by his spokesman.
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
In this photo Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (center) visits the remains of the school. Another 30 kids and eight adults are still missing inside it
People in Atzala, Puebla, eight miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, walk by the bodies of nine people – some apparently children – killed by the powerful earthquake
Rescue personnel work on a building that collapsed after an earthquake in the Colonia Obrera neighborhood of Mexico City
Families took to the streets to bed down for the night, fearful to go back into their homes in case aftershocks caused the already damaged building to collapse on them
Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the second deadly earthquake to strike Mexico in as many weeks
Rubble is scooped away by the ton from a a collapsed building in Atlixco, Puebla state
A car lies crushed flat by rubble in Jojutla, Morelos state. The body count continued to crawl up by the hour on Tuesday
The epicenter of the quake was close to the town of Jojutla, south of Mexico City, where this store appeared to have been partially swallowed by he ground
A machine works on a destroyed hotel after an earthquake hit Atlixco, in Puebla state. The town is located 60 miles southeast of Mexico City
Mexico City has borne the brunt of the damage, with buildings collapsing across the city and thousands left on the street
Volunteer rescuers, along with firefighters, policemen and soldiers, continued toiling as night fell on Mexico City, hoping to free those trapped in the rubble as quickly as possible
Rescuers both professional and volunteer remove rubble and debris from a flattened building in Mexico City in search of survivors, under the glare of a bright spotlight
Thousands of volunteers armed with nothing more than buckets and shovels have rushed to help sift through the rubble of Mexico City and help search for survivors
Working only in artificial light and wreathed in dust, firefighters and paramedics continue to clear rubble after the quake in Mexico City. They are raising their arms to call for silence so that they can listen for the cries of trapped people
Firefighters (seen top-right quadrant of the photograph) scape a collapsed building in the glare of a spotlight in their continuing search for survivors in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City
The statement said the United Nations stands ready to assist Mexico following the quake, which has killed at least 139 people and devastated central Mexico.
Meanwhile, the government of Mexico has declared a state of disaster in Mexico City, freeing up emergency funds.
President Enrique Pena Nieto said he had ordered all hospitals to open their doors to the injured after the magnitude 7.1 quake.
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.
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 North American and Cocos tectonic plates rub one another, creating friction that causes earthquakes – sometimes, as in the case of Tuesday’s disaster, away from their edges. The September 7 earthquake is believed to be unconnected
This image from the US Geological Survey shows how various areas were affected as the shockwaves spread out across Mexico. Mexico City, being at the bottom of a former lake bed, was particularly badly hit
Donald Trump sent his thoughts, tweeting: ‘God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you’
Emergency workers gather around the remains of an apartment building which was reduced to rubble by the earthquake
A survivor grimaces in pain as he is stretchered out of a collapsed building. The death toll currently stands at 248
A man found underneath tons of collapsed rubble is given water by workers before being taken to hospital
Thousands of people have been injured in the quake, though official figures have yet to be reported amid widespread chaos
Workers have been holding up signs reading ‘silencio’ as they listen for the cries of people buried in the rubble
Rescue workers are dwarfed by the size of this massive collapsed building in Mexico City
Teams of soldiers and police hack at fallen concrete walls with pickaxes and shovels in Mexico City
Rescue workers help a woman strapped to a stretcher down the rubble of a collapsed building
Rescuers haul away chunks of concrete and stone away with their bare hands as they struggle to reach those beneath
A firefighter uses a flashlight to check a tiny, cramped space for trapped civilians in Mexico City
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.
As of late Tuesday 40 percent of Mexico City and 60 percent of Morelos state have no electricity, he said.
Pena Nieto also said that 20 children and two adults had died at a school that collapsed in the nation’s capital.
Pena Nieto visited the school late Tuesday. He said in comments broadcast online by Financiero TV that 30 children and eight adults were still reported missing.
Rescue workers were continuing to search and listening for sounds from the rubble.
In a video message to the country, Pena Nieto urged the Mexican people to remain calm, and said that while many would need help, authorities had to focus on those trapped in wrecked buildings.
‘The priority at this moment is to keep rescuing people who are still trapped and to give medical attention to the injured people,’ he said.