Desperate rescue workers scrabbled through rubble in a floodlit search on Wednesday for dozens of children feared buried beneath a Mexico City school, one of hundreds of buildings wrecked by the country's most lethal earthquake in a generation. The magnitude 7.1 shock killed at least 217 people, nearly half of them in the capital, 32 years to the day after a devastating 1985 quake. The disaster came as Mexico still reels from a powerful tremor that killed nearly 100 people in the south of the country less than two weeks ago. Mexico earthquake: Shake intensity Among the twisted concrete and steel ruin of the Enrique Rebsamen school, soldiers and firefighters found at least 22 dead children and two adults, while another 30 children and 12 adults were missing, President Enrique Pena Nieto said. There were chaotic scenes at the school as bulldozers moved rubble under the buzz and glare of floodlights powered by generators, with parents clinging to hope their children had survived. "They keep pulling kids out, but we know nothing of my daughter," said 32-year-old Adriana D'Fargo, her eyes red after hours waiting for news of her seven-year-old. Rescuers, firefighters, policemen, soldiers and volunteers remove rubble and debris from a flattened building Credit: AFP PHOTO / YURI CORTEZ Three survivors were found at around midnight as volunteer rescue teams formed after the 1985 quake and known as "moles" crawled deep under the rubble. TV network Televisa reported that 15 more bodies, mostly children, had been recovered, while 11 children were rescued. The school is for children aged 3 to 14. The earthquake toppled dozens of buildings, broke gas mains and sparked fires across the city and other towns in central Mexico. Falling rubble and billboards crushed cars. Women are covered in dust after making it out of a building that collapsed after an earthquake in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell In a live broadcast, one newsreader had time to say "this is not a drill", before weaving his way out of the buckling studio. Parts of colonial-era churches crumbled in the state of Puebla, where the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) located the quake's epicenter, some 100 miles (158 km) southwest of the capital, at a depth of 51 km (32 miles). As the earth shook, Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano, visible from the capital on a clear day, had a small eruption. On its slopes, a church in Atzitzihuacan collapsed during mass, killing 15 people, Puebla Governor Jose Antonio Gali said. U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned the earthquake in a tweet, saying:  God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2017 In Rome, Pope Francis told pilgrims that he was praying for all the victims, the wounded, their families and the rescue workers in the majority Catholic country. "In this moment of pain, I want to express my closeness and prayers to all the beloved Mexican people," he said. Mexico City faces bulk of the destruction Forty three of the deaths were in the state of Puebla, some 75 miles east of Mexico City, where the earthquake struck, while 71 people were killed in Morelos, to the south of the capital.  But it was Mexico City itself that was hardest hit, with 86 confirmed dead, according to Luis Felipe Puente, national coordinator of the Civil Protection service.  Much of the region was plunged into darkness, with 40 per cent of Mexico City and 60 per cent of the state of Morelos still without electricity early on Wednesday. Mexico City earthquake: narrow escapes and apocalyptic scenes 01:40 President Enrique Pena Nieto urged people to stay in their homes if it was safe to do so and keep the streets free of congestion to allow emergency vehicles to pass. "This earthquake is a hard and very painful test for our country," he said in a message to the nation. "Us Mexicans have had difficult experiences as a consequence of earthquakes in the past. And we have learned to respond to these episodes with commitment and the spirit of solidarity." He added: "We will stay united, confronting this new challenge together." Mexico City's buildings crumble as deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits – in pictures People trapped in rubble Tony Gali, the governor of Puebla, said that church steeples had been toppled in the city of Cholula. Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said buildings fell at 44 places in Mexico City, where more than 50 people died, and fires broke out in several of them.  Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said rescue teams were working painstakingly with picks and shovels to free people who had been trapped Journalist films home swaying as earthquake hits Mexico 00:50 "We have some buildings where we have reports that there could be people inside. They are doing it with lots of caution," the interior secretary said, adding that more rescue personnel would be needed. At one site, reporters saw onlookers cheer as a woman was pulled from the rubble. Rescuers immediately called for silence so they could listen for others who might be trapped. One video posted on social media showed a large industrial building swaying and then crumbling in a huge cloud of dust and rubble. Mexican TV showed cars crushed by debris. Credit: USGS There was chaos in Mexico City, with traffic jammed to a standstill and ambulances trying to reach those injured. Hundreds of civilians rushed to help search for people who may have been trapped. 'There was thunder…then dust' Carlos Mendoza, 30, said that he and other volunteers in Mexico City had been able to pull two people alive from the ruins of a collapsed apartment building after three hours of effort. "We saw this and came to help," he said. "It's ugly, very ugly." Another volunteer rescue worker, Mariana Morales, said she saw a building collapsing in a cloud of dust before her eyes as she travelled in a taxi. "There was the sound of thunder … then dust and all this," she said. "The people are organising quickly." Gala Dluzhynska was taking a class with 11 other women on the second floor of a building on trendy Alvaro Obregon street when the quake struck and window and ceiling panels fell as the building began to tear apart. She said she fell in the stairs and people began to walk over her, before someone finally pulled her up. A man enters a damaged building after an earthquake in Mexico City Credit: Eduardo Verdugo/AP "There were no stairs anymore. There were rocks," she said. They reached the bottom only to find it barred. A security guard finally came and unlocked it. 'Children killed at school' Jorge Lopez, a 49-year-old Spaniard living in Mexico City, told the AFP news agency that when the earthquake struck, he raced to the school in the central Roma district where his children aged six and three were, to find it collapsed but his offspring safe if terrified. "We arrived at the school and everyone was crying, everyone was frantic, and the kids were holding on to a rope," he said. "It's uncontrollable. You can't do anything against nature." Lazaro Frutis, a 45-year-old who escaped an office building before it crumpled to the ground, said: "We ran outside thinking all was going to collapse around us.  "The worst thing is, we don't know about our families or anything." Volunteers and rescue personnel work on the remains of a collapsed primary school  Credit: AP On Twitter, relatives posted pleas for news of family members, including 8-year-old Alexis Vargas Macias who was at Enrique Rebsamen school when the quake hit. Hours after the quake, rescue workers were still clawing through the wreckage of the primary school looking for any children who might be trapped. Some relatives said they had received Whatsapp message from two girls inside. President Enrique Pena Nieto visited the school late on Tuesday and said 22 bodies had been recovered there, two of them adults. He added in comments broadcast online by Financiero TV that 30 children and eight adults were still reported missing. Rescuers were continuing their search and pausing to listen for voices from the rubble. City joins together in rescue efforts Hours after a school collapsed, killing at least 22 children, people were still searching through the rubble. Emergency services and civilians have clubbed together to rescue people and animals trapped after the quake. Drone footage shows extent of Mexican quake as volunteers help relief workers 01:17 A sea of people are seen removing rubble from a toppled building Thousands of volunteers removing rubble from a collapsed building. There's no electricity in 40% of Mexico City #FuerzaMexicopic.twitter.com/wCH0NcbgXd— Gaby S. (@gabyserrar) September 20, 2017 A dog was saved, to the joy of onlookers Mexico at its finest. Proud. #mexicoearthquake#fuerzaPuebla#FuerzaMiMexico pic.twitter.com/4nl6aa4wKW— Jorge Cameron-Ochoa (@jcameron_ochoa) September 20, 2017 Locals were seen wearing masks as they helped to remove rubble Porque somos más los buenos. Pese a la fuerte sacudida, la gente ayuda para remover los escombros | @fotocarlos28https://t.co/vAhXkdTDSFpic.twitter.com/KRi82hondx— DIARIO RÉCORD (@record_mexico) September 20, 2017 Hundreds of university students gathered to join the rescue efforts Miles de universitarios llegan al Estadio Olímpico en @UNAM_MX y comenzarán organizarse para salir en brigadas de rescate pic.twitter.com/7Bd3gvFyWD— Noticias MVS (@NoticiasMVS) September 20, 2017 Crowd cheers as child is saved "They saved a child" the crowd cheers But over 200 people have died in an #earthquake in #Mexico Including 21 kids pic.twitter.com/0Q3FH3w1I4— Jamie Johnson (@JamieoJohnson) September 20, 2017 Soldiers were deployed to assist with rescues NEW: More than 3,400 soldiers deployed in areas affected by earthquake near Mexico City, says The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense. pic.twitter.com/z957fdh52v— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 19, 2017 Man pulled from rubble shouts 'there are more people in there!' VÍA @genarolozano: Una persona rescatada sale caminando y dice que hay más gente atrapada con vida. #CDMXpic.twitter.com/9bVET9CWW7— Webcams de México (@webcamsdemexico) September 20, 2017 Scouts help with rescue efforts We stand with people & #Scouts in #Mexico affected by #SismoMX. We are working closely with @scoutsdemexico on relief efforts. #FuerzaMexicopic.twitter.com/9l86KtH3tl— World Scouting (@worldscouting) September 20, 2017 Formula One driver Sergio Perez has donated £125,000 to the victims of the earthquake. He is currently the only Mexican Formula One driver. Nieto: Focus is on rescuing people In video message later, Mr Nieto appealed for calm.  "The priority at this moment is to keep rescuing people who are still trapped and to give medical attention to the injured people," he said. Pena Nieto said that as of late Tuesday 40 percent of Mexico City and 60 percent of Morelos state have no electricity. Police called for calm and cordoned off streets with grotesquely twisted buildings, their reinforcing steel poking out from concrete. People hugged and comforted each other amid anxiety about loved ones. Many stood around in a daze, not sure where to go or what to do. Devastating images from Mexico City. pic.twitter.com/RpF7sUq31s— Jorge Guajardo (@jorge_guajardo) September 19, 2017 Enrique Peña Nieto, the Mexican president, told civilians to stay off the streets so that emergency services could access the worst hit areas. Donald Trump, the US president, tweeted: "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you." Power was cut to 3.8 million customers, the national electricity company, CFE, said and mobile phone signals were down across large parts of the country. Current image of Mexico City. To all my family and friends, I hope everyone is safe. pic.twitter.com/dqCk47kcEK— Francisco Parada (@paco_parada) September 19, 2017 Mexico City's international airport suspended operations and was checking facilities for any damage. Mexican stocks and the peso currency dropped on news of the earthquake, and Mexico's stock exchange suspended trading. Two weeks ago, a 8.1 magnitude earthquake hit the south of the quake-prone country leaving 90 people dead. The earthquake nearly toppled this building across from me in Mexico City. People fled screaming as buildings crumbled. Scary as hell. pic.twitter.com/PDCFm8vh0B— Kate Linthicum (@katelinthicum) September 19, 2017 Much of Mexico City is built on former lake bed, and the soil can amplify the effects of earthquakes centred hundreds of miles away. There have been 19 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or larger within 200 miles of yesterday's quake in the past century, said Paul Earle, a US Geological Survey seismologist. People leave buildings following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake Credit: Sáshenka Gutiérrez/EFE Earlier in the day workplaces across Mexico City held readiness drills on the anniversary of the 1985, 8.0 magnitude, earthquake, which killed thousands of people. "I'm so worried. I can't stop crying. It's the same nightmare as in 1985," said Georgina Sanchez, 52. World para swimming and powerlifting championships postponed The world para swimming and powerlifting championships to be held in Mexico City later this month have been postponed following the devastating earthquake this week, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Wednesday. The IPC said that this was the first time it had been forced to postpone a major championship. Both events were due to start on Sept. 30. with 1,400 athletes, officials and staff involved. "As a result of this tragedy, we are in full agreement that the immediate focus of the Mexican authorities should be on prioritising recovery and rebuilding for the Mexican people and not organising two major international sport events," IPC President Andrew Parsons said in a statement. "I know the postponement of both championships will be disappointing news to all the athletes who were set to take part, however these are unique circumstances and quite simply this is the right thing to do at the moment." Parsons said arrangements were being made for a safe departure of delegations that had already arrived in the capital. FCO advice for British travelers  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has released this statement: "On Tuesday 19 September 2017 there was an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 near Puebla, Mexico – approximately 140km south-east of Mexico City. Damage has been severe. "Mexico City airport was closed temporarily, but has now reopened. Please contact your airline in the first instance if you are due to fly out on 19 or 20 September. Local authorities are opening up shelters for those most badly affected, details will be released by Proteccion Civil. "If you are in the area, you should follow the advice of the local authorities. The British embassy in Mexico City remains closed and phone lines are intermittent due to structural damage. If you require emergency assistance, please call +44 (0)20 7008 1500." Additional reporting by agencies.  

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