Saturday 04 / May / 2024
Following Mexico's devastating September 19 earthquake, thousands of Mexico City residents are awaiting building inspections to see if their homes and apartment buildings are safe for them to return to.
Living out of cars and tents. This is where many in Mexico City are sleeping. They're waiting for building inspectors to tell them whether it's safe to go home, after the devastating earthquake that hit the country.
Resident of a damaged building who is living out of her car and a tent in the street, Regina Garcia, saying: "We're staying here and not going to a shelter because a lot of people take advantage of the situation break into the apartments."
Last week's 7.1-magnitude quake killed about 200 people here in Mexico City. It's displaced thousands more. Several buildings have collapsed, while hundreds may now be inhabitable.
Resident of a damaged building who is living out of her car and a tent in the street, Regina Garcia, saying: "It's terrible. It's terrible because when you're used to having your things, your clothes, your shower, your bed... I mean, just imagine, this is basically my living room and inside that is my bed." Even if authorities do give them the green light to go home, many are still uneasy.
Resident of apartment complex with 10 buildings, one of which collapsed, Clara Flores, saying: "They say that the examinations went well, but I can't be sure. Honestly, to have a building that collapsed nearby really makes an impact. It's been really desolate and has brought down our lives with it in some way."
That, as the death toll continues to climb. Rescuers are still digging out bodies from the rubble of a collapsed office building in the Roma district.
Mexico City spokesperson, Valentin Onate, saying: "Three more bodies have been found, bringing the total to 38. We are working on identifying them." Almost 350 people across the country have been confirmed dead so far in Mexico's most deadly earthquake in a generation.
