"Mexicans Dig Through Quake Rubble Overnight as Death Toll Passes 200"

"The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Mexico on Tuesday jumped to 217, government officials said Wednesday, as searchers worked desperately to find survivors in the ruins of collapsed structures.

The new death toll was announced by Luis Felipe Puente, the country’s civil protection coordinator. He said that more than half the dead were found in Mexico City and nearby Morelos State.

The Tuesday afternoon quake toppled dozens of buildings and led to the deaths of 21 children in a school that collapsed in Mexico City. The devastating temblor sent people fleeing into the streets and came just two weeks after another earthquake centered off Mexico’s southern coast rattled the capital."

Gerry Mullany reports for the New York Times September 20, 2017.