Rescue workers backed by an army of untrained volunteers searched for survivors buried under mounds of rubble as the death toll from the powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake climbed to at least 230 across central Mexico.

At least 44 buildings collapsed completely in Mexico City, with thousands more left damaged and unstable in the sprawling city, which is built on a drained lakebed. Mexico City mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera said 52 people had been pulled alive from the rubble of collapsed buildings. A school collapsed, killing 21 children and four adults, and leaving at least 30 unaccounted for. The school collapsed as teachers were trying to lead the children outside to safety.

Outside the capital, one of the hardest hit places was Jojutla, a small town in the neighboring state of Morelos. At least 14 people were confirmed dead, 300 homes and businesses collapsed entirely, and at least 1,500 other buildings were damaged, according to the mayor. At least 71 people were confirmed dead across the state.

Enrique Peña Nieto, the Mexican president, declared three days of national mourning in honour of the victims, and the death toll was expected to rise in coming days as rescue workers combed through tons of rubble. “Mexico shares your pain” was posted on the president’s official Twitter account as the period of mourning was announced.

Mexico is still reeling from a powerful 8.4 quake that killed almost 100 people and left thousands homeless in the south of the country less than two weeks before. The 7.1 tremor in central Mexico struck 32 years to the day after the country’s most lethal earthquake ever left thousands dead and the capital flattened.

Across the city, initial rescue efforts were spearheaded by neighbors, shopkeepers, and passersby until emergency services and the armed forces arrived on the scene. Hundreds of people wearing makeshift protective clothing formed human chains to remove debris and bring essential supplies like water and medicines into the affected areas. Volunteers worked throughout the night into Wednesday as rescue services struggled to cope with the scale of the demolition.

After the powerful quake earlier this month failed to cause serious damage in the capital, the government boldly – and preemptively – declared the new regulations had been a success. The relief effort and clean-up operation could take weeks. Piles of debris, broken windows, cracked walls, and crushed cars were still scattered on streets across the affected parts of the city.

When man proclaims himself safe, God makes a powerful point that he is not. He also seeks to raise awareness of man’s danger of pride and arrogance.

“The time is at hand when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn. Disasters by sea and by land follow one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man; but in them all, God’s purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.” Prophets and Kings, page 277.

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