Supplies start to reach Mexican city devastated by earthquake
GOVERNMENT CARGO planes are flying in supplies to survivors of an earthquake that destroyed a large part of Juchitan in Mexico and killed at least 37 people in the area, as officials raised the nationwide death toll to 90.
Some people continued to sleep outside, fearful of more collapses, as strong aftershocks continued to rattle the town, including a magnitude 5.2 jolt early on Sunday.
Local officials said they had counted nearly 800 aftershocks of all sizes since Thursday’s big quake, and the US Geological Survey counted nearly 60 with a magnitude of 4.5 or greater.
Teams of soldiers and federal police have helped demolish damaged buildings.
Maria de Lourdes Quintana Lopez said she could not wait for the government’s assistance as she oversaw the demolition of her family business’s warehouse.
“We have to work so that we’re not overcome with sadness,” Ms Quintana said. “We’re not going to wait for the government to do what it has to do.”
The 8.1 magnitude earthquake caused so many deaths in Juchitan that slow-moving funeral processions caused temporary gridlock around cemeteries.
In Juchitan a third of the city’s homes collapsed or were uninhabitable.
On the outskirts of the city, the general hospital settled into its temporary home – a school gym with stretchers parked on the basketball court. The earthquake rendered the hospital itself uninhabitable.
Maria Teresa Sales Alvarez said it was “chaos” when the earthquake struck, but staff moved patients outside and transferred most of those who required specialised care to other facilities.
Governor Alejandro Murat said on Sunday that the death toll in his state had risen to 71. Officials have reported 19 killed in neighbouring states. Two others died in a mudslide in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz after Hurricane Katia hit late on Friday.
Authorities were working to re-establish supplies of water and food.