Magnitude 7.1 tremor hits central Mexico on the anniversary of 1985 killer temblor

  MEXICO CITY – A Magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck central Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, sending panicked residents fleeing from houses and buildings that swayed or toppled as the earth rumbled. Mexican authorities said at least 116 people died in the tremor. Acording to local and state officials said 54 people perished in Morelos state, 27 in Puebla state, 27 in Mexico City, and eight in Mexico state. However, Luis Felipe Puente, head of the Mexican Civil Defense agency, tweeted Tuesday night that the confirmed death toll had risen to 139. CNN affiliate Foro TV quoted President Enrique Peña Nieto as saying that 27 buildings collapsed in the capital, which is located 75 miles from the epicenter. The US Geological Survey put the tremor's epicenter 2.8 miles or 4.5 kilometers east-northeast of San Juan Raboso and 34.1 miles or 55 kilometers south-southwest of Puebla city in Puebla state. It struck at 1:14 p.m. The quake was a shallow tremor as it struck at a depth of about 33 miles or 51 kilometers, the agency added. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said any tremor below 70 kilometers is considered a shallow quake. She said "shallow earthquakes often cause the most damage, compared to the ones that are deeper, regardless of the strength." The quake came less than two weeks after another powerful tremor caused 90 deaths in southwestern Mexico and on the anniversary of the killer earthquake that hit the Mexican capital in 1985. Reports said hours before the tremor, many people participated in drills and commemorative events on the anniversary of the 1985 quake. The September 19, 1985 earthquake registered Magnitude 8.0 and killed an estimated 9,500 people in and around Mexico City. That quake prompted changes in building codes and greater protection against earthquakes such as the drills. Clips on social media showed buildings swaying or collapsing. The sides of some structures fell on the sidewalks. After the quake, videos showed rescuers in hard hats and civilians in a Mexico City community digging through piles of rubble with some carrying away buckets full of debris while in another area, volunteers called out the names of those possibly trapped under collapsed structures. The quake interrupted power supply to 3.8 million customers in central Mexico, according to report. Mexico City international airport was closed temporarily but it reopened after officials determined that there was no damage on the runways. Meanwhile, President Peña Nieto addressed Mexicans and said the country "is facing a new national emergency" and that the military has been activated to help in rescue efforts, which would continue throughout the night. Peña Nieto tweeted that he has ordered the evacuation of hospitals that have been damaged and the transfer of patients to other medical facilities. Education Minister Aurelio Nuño, for his part, announced on Twitter that classes in all public and private schools in Mexico City and in Puebla and Morelos states are canceled until further notice. In Manila, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said no Filipinos were hurt or killed in the Mexico quake. The building housing the Philippine embassy in Mexico City has been badly damaged by the tremor but Philippine ambassador to Mexico Eduardo de Vega said the embassy staff are all safe. De Vega said in a text message to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano that they are "a bit shaken but otherwise all right." 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