Mexico crash: Military helicopter goes down following earthquake
People in south central Mexico are cleaning up today after being hit by a massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake that destroyed homes and buildings not far from the capital.
According to officials with the national emergency committee, more than 200 homes in the southern state of Oaxaca, as well as the town hall and other structures in the town of Santiago Jamiltepec were destroyed but there have been no deaths reported directly relating to the earthquake.
There were however 13 fatalities when a helicopter, carrying military officials to survey the damage from the earthquake crashed on route.
According to reports, five women, four men and three children were killed when the helicopter crashed, and another individual died later in hospital.
According to Mexican officials more than 1 million residents of Mexico City were without power following the quake, but the majority of residents have their power back.
Residents living near to where the helicopter went down are outraged over losing loved ones due to the military chopper crash: “The governor was supposedly coming to help, but what was the help, the aid, we received? This was the aid,” said Eduardo Juarez, a relative of one victim.
This earthquake comes only five months after two earthquakes rocked the country, killing hundreds of people.
According to the national seismology service, after the quake on Friday there were more than 190 aftershocks.
