Mexico quake death toll rises to 106

Rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building after a powerful quake in Mexico City on September 19, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook Mexico City on Tuesday, causing panic among the megalopolis’ 20 million inhabitants on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico’s Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale. The institute said the quake’s epicenter was seven kilometers west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighboring state of Puebla. (AFP PHOTO / Alfredo ESTRELLA)

The powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico City and nearby regions on Tuesday killed at least 106 people, according to a preliminary count compiled from local officials’ initial reports.

Mexico City recorded 30 deaths, but it was the state of Morelos that had the worst fatality count at this time— 42. Morelos is located directly south of the city.

Puebla, a town southeast of the capital, registered 26 deaths, while Mexico state, which lies just to the west, had eight deaths.

Authorities expect the number of killed could still rise, as rescue crews and volunteers continue to dig into the rubble of 29 collapsed buildings in Mexico City, which is home to 20 million inhabitants.

The disaster occurred exactly 32 years after a quake rocked Mexico City in 1985 that killed 10,000 people.

/kga