Rescuers Are Digging To Find Children Trapped In A Collapsed School After Mexico City's Earthquake

Rescue workers and volunteers at Enrique Rebsamen primary school, Mexico City, after it collapsed during the earthquake.

He described the building as having been flattened like a sandwich.

But some students were still being pulled out alive Tuesday night, Muñoz said, including a group of young girls who had been trapped in the parking area and were in the process of being rescued. Dozens of children rescued from the rubble have been taken to local hospitals.

On Wednesday morning, a special unit of volunteers, Topos de Tlatelolco (also known as Topos Aztecos, a professional nonprofit rescue team), came to tunnel under the school, digging through concrete and wood in search of pockets of air where survivors could be hidden.

Steel workers have also been called in to cut through metal beams and are waiting on orders. An organization called Tlalpan arrived to carry rubble away by hand. They have also been bringing insulin, adrenalin, alcohol, oxygen, and penicillin.

“They would give me the names of the children, who had died or who were rescued, and I had to walk around yelling the names in order to give the information to the parents,” paramedic Fernanda Lopez told BuzzFeed News.

A list of the children and teachers was passed around, the New York Times reported, as volunteers faced the grim task of crossing names off as bodies were pulled from the rubble.

The street in front of the school was blocked by rows of Mexican Federal Police officers, supported by Mexican Marines, who were in charge of crowd control. A truck operator stood with his machine, awaiting orders to help remove debris.

“Some [of the children caught in the debris] are friends of my son's,” Jorge Flores told BuzzFeed News as he waited outside the school for updates. He added that his sons attend a nearby school “where fortunately nothing happened.”

Hospital staff told BuzzFeed News they treated more than 80 people after the quake, with injuries ranging from serious head trauma to fractures.

Some injured have been discharged and others are still being treated. No one has died at the hospital.

A public list of people being treated is displayed at the hospital so family members can come and check for loved ones. "Alta" means they have left the hospital, while "hospitalizada" means they are still hospitalized.

Volunteers near the Enrique Rebsamen primary school hold signs signaling what basic necessities are needed by students and their families.