Mother nature can be cruel. Hurricane season is still swirling through the Caribbean but the world’s attention has already been grabbed by a new tragedy. Over 200 people were killed this week in a series of powerful earthquakes that tore through Mexico.
217 people died Tuesday when a 7.1 magnitude quake pounded Mexico City and toppled buildings to the ground. The situation is so dire that Mexico has been forced to revoke its offer of Hurricane Harvey aid. All of its resources must now be used to support its own citizens.
Mexico City, home to 20 million people, is the world’s most populous city. The quake was centered 76 miles away from the capital city but it received most of the damage.
“Mexico City was built on a former lake, which means that its ground is soft and wet. It behaves like a bowl of jelly when it shakes. It renders ground motion stronger and longer in duration. For this reason, the impact of distant earthquakes is more dramatic in Mexico City…” Jean Paul (Pablo) Ampuero, a professor of seismology in the Seismological Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, told CNN.
The city is still suffering. The death toll will likely rise as reports say that multiple people are trapped in the rubble.
(Source: New York Post, CNN)