On 19th September 2017, Mexico was hit by a powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, 32 years to the day after the devastating 1985 earthquake, and 12 days after the one in the Chiapas. 370 people died and more than 5,000 were injured according to the official report; massive destruction was reported in Mexico City and surrounding towns.
Faced with the scale of the damage, a team of Télécoms Sans Frontières deployed urgently from the Guadalajara base in Mexico on 20th September.
As the search for survivors under the rubble continued, TSF scaled the states of Morelos and Puebla to gain a clearer idea of the telecoms situation.
It soon became apparent that the telecommunications infrastructure had withstood the impact of the earthquake, and the localised needs were covered by Mexico’s mobile network operators.
It turned out that the telecommunications infrastructure had withstood the impact of the earthquake and that the localized needs were covered by Mexican operators. TSF thus withdrew from zone on 25th September 2017.