More Than 130 People Dead in 7.1 Mexico City Earthquake

The death toll from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that rocked central Mexico on Tuesday has risen to at least 139 according to Mexican officials. Rescue workers are working furiously to help save people who have become trapped inside the damaged or collapsed buildings that have fallen all over the capital. 

Mexican media, as well as several posts on social media, showed footage of multiple buildings that had been felled by the shaking in the densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby Cuernavaca. 

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake hit at 1:14 pm local time, and was centered near the Puebla state town of Raboso, located about 76 miles southeast of Mexico City. The quake struck at a depth of around 33 miles (51 kilometers). Experts say anything below 70 kilometers is considered a "shallow quake." 

Experts say the new quake is unrelated to the 8.1 that hit off Mexico's southern coast almost two weeks ago on Sept 7th. Aftershocks of major quakes usually happen within 100 kilometers, while seismologists note that the epicenters of the two quakes are 650 kilometers apart. 

The quake occurred on the same day as another major earthquake that struck the capital city back in 1985. That quake, that measured 8.0 on the Richter scale killed thousands of people. 


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