Rescue teams on Saturday resumed their search for victims after the collapse of a hill on the outskirts of Mexico City.
On Friday, gigantic rocks fell on a residential area,
causing the death of at least one person and ten missing.
The search tasks are complicated by the enormous size of the stones that fell from the upper part of the Chiquihuite hill, the narrow roads make it difficult to move heavy machinery to the area and
there is a danger of another landslide due to the instability of the terrain. .
The landslide in Tlalnepantla, State of Mexico, happened days after the intense rains that fell on central Mexico and the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Acapulco on Tuesday that hit the buildings of the country's capital, located about 320 kilometers of distance.
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The governor of the State of Mexico, Alfredo del Mazo, said that the rains and the earthquake possibly contributed to the landslide of the rocks.
“
Some of us started helping our next door neighbors and we took out an injured person,
but we really don't know if there are more people or they are already dead,” said a resident in an interview with Noticias Telemundo.
Neighbors formed long lines and passed stones and containers full of rubble to clear the ground.
"It sounded like a truck dumping stones, but for a long time,"
said Francisca Trejo, 57, about the moment of the collapse.
A group of rescuers searched for survivors in Tlalnepantla, on the outskirts of Mexico City, on September 10, 2021. AP
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Marcelo Israel Sánchez, 39, and his wife and three children were waiting at home for the authorities to tell them what to do.
They did not want to leave their home until the area was safe, but they were also afraid of the possibility of more landslides.
More than 80 homes were evacuated in the surroundings as a preventive measure.
"The shaking felt strong and maybe that's why the stones were slipping," said Sánchez.
Authorities halted rescue efforts overnight due to the danger of more rocks falling.
"
We do not want anyone to run additional risk,
geologists have told us that the detachment is complicated, we have made flights with drones and we do not want to put anyone at risk," said Ricardo de la Cruz, undersecretary general of the Government of the State of Mexico.
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The priority for Saturday is to stabilize the slope and continue the search, the official said.
The chances of finding survivors are slim because they have "not detected anything," despite the use of trained dogs and special search equipment, De la Cruz said.
"The image was terrifying,"
said Alan Hernández, a member of the Topos México K-9 rescue group.
Hernandez and his dog Oreo had not found anyone on Friday.
Hernández is an expert in this type of rescue and participated in the search for survivors in the condo that collapsed in Surfside, Florida.
One of the rocks that fell off a slope in Tlalnepantla, on the outskirts of Mexico City, on September 10, 2021
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The General Coordination of Civil Protection of the State of Mexico said in a statement that at least 10 people were still missing.
Isaac Carmona, 18, said he saw a woman with a bloody face pulled alive from the rubble and carried away on a stretcher.
A spokesperson for the State of Mexico confirmed that one person was rescued.
"We are going to work the hours that are necessary and at this
moment our priority is to rescue the people who were unfortunately surprised at the scene,
" said Raciel Pérez Cruz, mayor of the municipality of Tlalnepantla in a statement.
According to the mayor, the recent heavy rains could have softened the land because images shared on social networks and local media show areas of high humidity.
With information from AP and EFE