83 survivors rescued from collapsed buildings after earthquake hits Mexico

Rescue workers raising arms, signifying a survivor may have been found (Photo grabbed from Reuters video)

MEXICO CITY (CCTV) — Emergency personnel and volunteers have rescued 83 people from collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake hit Mexico on Tuesday, according to data released by the Mexican government on Wednesday afternoon.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City and the surrounding states of Puebla, Mexico and Morelos on Tuesday, killing at least 225 people and causing severe damage to buildings in the area.

Search and rescue missions have been carried out in an orderly and effective manner, with rescue workers and volunteers assigned to dig through rubble, transport waste and debris, arrange medical staff, and distribute food and water.

When rescue workers believe they found a survivor, they need people at the site to be quiet, so they raise  their arms as a signal for everyone  to quiet down.

A reporter from China Central Television waited outside a collapsed building for more than three hours, where five Taiwanese were trapped.

During that time, rescue workers found survivors, but they were not yet removed from the building so their identities remained unknown.

Rescue workers were monitoring the survivors’ vital signs as they prepared to rescue them from the rubble.

Volunteers from across the country traveled to Mexico City to offer their assistance.

“It is the second time for me to participate in an earthquake rescue mission in Mexico. The first time was [September] 8. I came here around three o’clock in the morning to offer some help,” said Jacome, a volunteer.