Published on 21.09.2017.
On 19 September, the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck central and southern Mexico killing more than 248 people, according to the government.
The Mexican Red Cross Cruz Roja Mexicana Sede Nacional has deployed dozens of doctors and nurses, alongside more than 90 ambulances and its urban rescue unit. In all, more than 500 volunteers and staff were activated in the hours immediately following the disaster.
Additional urban rescue units, ambulances and logistics support has been deployed to the disaster zone from Jalico in western Mexico:
Pascale Meige, Director of Disaster and Crisis Response at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC):
“The situation is desperate with many people trapped under rubble, including children who were at school when the earthquake struck. The Mexican Red Cross has extraordinary capacity as it responds to two major earthquakes less than two weeks apart and tropical storms Lidia and Katia, which hit in early September. Hundreds of Red Cross paramedics are out there right now trying to save lives in what is always a race against time”.
Yesterday’s earthquake comes after a powerful 8.2 magnitude tremor killed nearly 100 people in the south-east of the country on 7 September. More than 2,000 Red Cross volunteers continue to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by that disaster in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.
Source: full article “Mexico: Red Cross teams providing urgent rescue and first aid for earthquake victims”
Photos form Cruz Roja Mexicana Sede Nacional/Mexico Red Cross
