Press. voanews.com
There is no missing child at a collapsed Mexico City school, according to
a high-ranking navy official, though there may be an adult still alive in the
debris where an intensive rescue effort has been under way after Tuesday's
massive earthquake that has killed more than 245 people and injured at least
2,000. Navy Assistant Secretary Angel Enrique Sarmiento said all of the
school's children have been accounted for, although traces of blood and other
signs indicate someone might be alive in the rubble.
"We have done an accounting with school officials and we are certain
that all of the children either died, unfortunately, are in hospitals, or are
safe at their homes," Sarmiento said. Rescue teams in central Mexico have
been working around the clock in search of survivors, and focus had turned to
the plight of a girl identified as Frida Sofia, who was reported to have been
located alive under the flattened school building. No family members had
emerged, however, and some officials said her identity was not clear.
5,000 schools damaged
Since the 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck, workers at the school have
found 26 people dead there, including 21 children. The school was one of more
than 5,000 schools damaged by the earthquake, according to Mexico's education
secretary. Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said the number of confirmed dead
in the capital had risen from 100 to 115. He also said two women had been
pulled out alive Wednesday night from a collapsed office building in the center
of the city.
President Enrique Pena Nieto said at least 50 people had been pulled out
alive from buildings in Mexico City. He declared three days of mourning for
those who have died, and expressed the country's condolences to their friends
and family. He also praised Mexicans' rapid response to the disaster, while stressing
that the priorities remain saving lives and getting medical attention to those
in need. "I need to recognize the volunteers who are unconditionally
helping those who need it," Pena Nieto said. "Once again, Mexicans have demonstrated that the strength of
solidarity is much greater," the president's office posted in a tweet that
included a video showing thousands of people involved in relief efforts.
Help from abroad
In addition to the local response in Mexico City and the states of
Morelos, Puebla, Mexico, Guerrero and Oaxaca, help is coming from other
nations. The United States Agency for International Development sent a team of
more than 60 disaster responders and tools and medical equipment to Mexico City
on Thursday.
"They'll be working closely with Mexican disaster authorities to
help rescue earthquake survivors and assess structures for earthquake
damage," said USAID Administrator Mark Green. A 32-member search-and-rescue team from Panama arrived with two dogs
Wednesday. The Israeli military said it would send a team of 70 people to help
with rescue efforts by providing engineering assistance.
Pena Nieto said his government has also accepted the technical and
specialized help offered by Spain, Japan and other Latin American countries
that have experience dealing with the type of disaster his country is facing. Mexico City's international airport sustained some structural damage, but
Pena Nieto said the airport has returned to normal operations.
Loss of communications
Canadian travel blogger Mike Corey was in Mexico City when the earthquake
hit. The scariest part of the ordeal, he said, was the loss of cell reception,
"which is not good if you're trapped underneath things." "I
guarantee that cost lives because someone's there, they can't contact anybody
and they're trapped under rubble," he said.
Pope Francis acknowledged the victims of the earthquake during an open
prayer Wednesday in St. Peter's Square, saying he wanted to "express my
closeness and prayer to the dear Mexican people." The quake hit less than
two weeks after another earthquake killed more than 90 people in the country's
south. The U.S. Geological Survey said the two quakes appeared to be unrelated.
The earthquake struck exactly 32 years after an 8.0 temblor killed nearly
10,000 people in and around Mexico City. VOA's Victor Beattie, Steve Miller and
Celia Mendoza contributed to this report.
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