A new earthquake has sowed panic in Mexico City , forcing a brief pause in rescue operations to free survivors from the more powerful tremor this week that devastated parts of the capital.

The latest quake, with a magnitude of 6.1, was smaller and further south than the 7.1-magnitude one that struck on Tuesday, killing more than 300 people and toppling 39 buildings in the capital.

As an alarm sounded, hundreds of startled residents raced out into the street, some barefoot, some carrying children.

Two women died of heart attacks as they tried to leave their homes, according to local media reports. One was in her 80s and the other was 52, according to the website of the daily Reforma.

Authorities said two people also died in the quake in the southern state of Oaxaca, where the epicenter was located..



A bridge collapsed near the town of Juchitan, Oaxaca, already hit hard by a September 7 quake that killed nearly 100 people. Some buildings with previous damage collapsed.

In a jittery Mexico City, the quake made buildings sway, but some didn’t notice.

This time, we didn’t feel the ground move… maybe since the last one we’re getting used to them,” said Pablo Martinez, who had run out of his apartment building with his six-year-old daughter in his arms.

The new tremor sparked concern it could have caused heavy rubble on top of survivors awaiting rescue in the capital to shift — posing a danger both to those trapped and to rescuers.

Rescue crews quickly evacuated five sites in the capital where they had been working.

They hesitated for a couple of hours, discussing the added risk, before going back in to look for survivors.

Mexico City’s mayor, Miguel Angel Mancera, told Televisa television that around “30 people may yet be able to be found in this search and rescue operation.”

So far, 69 people have been pulled alive from the rubble in Mexico City, according to authorities.
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