FEARS GROW FOR CHILDREN TRAPPED UNDER RUBBLE OF MEXICO SCHOOL

 

The fate of up to five children still trapped under the rubble in a Mexico City school, following yesterday’s powerful earthquake, is growing more desperate by the hour. 

Wednesday, 20 September 2017 - 11:55pm

Efforts are under way to pull one young girl from underneath the ruins, where more than 20 children are already confirmed to have died, but local authorities and rescue efforts are overwhelmed due to the sheer scale of the destruction. 

The death toll in the country stands at more than 200 and is expected to rise further in the coming hours. 

Children in the capital and beyond have been left deeply shaken by events and many have seen their homes and schools heavily damaged, while some have seen their friends and relatives die or get caught in the of barrage of collapsed brick. 

Ivonne Piedras, Communications & Advocacy Officer, Save the Children Mexico says: 

“Mexico’s children have been hard hit by the earthquake – many are visibly shaken and scared. People are desperately searching for loved ones or trying to helps in some damage areas but it's a painstaking mission to ensure  fragile buildings or displaced rubble don't collapse beneath their feet. People are shocked and working in silence listening for faint sounds that might lead to survivors."   

“We still don’t know how many people have been displaced by the earthquake, the second to hit Mexico this month, but people, including many families, are sleeping in shelters and all the schools have been shut. We are really concerned that children could have become separated from their families amidst the chaos and could be alone and vulnerable."   

"Save the Children is opening up centres in the shelters to get to the children who in some cases have lost everything and are struggling to make it through the night as aftershocks continue to ripple through the city.” 

Save the Children is operating child friendly spaces in shelters in the capital and also in Puebla. We are also running a response in Oaxaca as well as dealing with the ramifications of the previous earthquake in which 90 people died and 200 schools were destroyed. 

For spokespeople interviews, please contact +44 7831 650 409 or email media@savethechildren.org.uk