Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20170920

Killing more than 130 people. The 7. 1 magnitude quake brought down dozens of buildings in the capital, mexico city, including a school, where children are believed to be trapped. The Emergency Services, helped by hundreds of volunteers, are sifting through the rubble by hand, searching for survivors. Well have a report from james cook in a moment on the damage in morelas and pueblo sates, but first heres bbc mundos Juan Paullier in mexico city. This is the scene here in mexico city, just a few minutes after an earthquake of 6. 8 magnitude struck the capital. I have been without signal on my phone since then, so i dont know the extent of the damage. What i do know is that dozens of people are desperately removing rubble here, because they believe someone is trapped. Mexico city is one of the most densely packed places on earth. This is one of the most densely packed places on earth. More than 20 Million People live here and this earthquake has hit them hard. Translation we left, and when we left the building started collapsing, i mean, 30 seconds after we left the building came down. Collapsing, i mean, 30 seconds after we left the building came downm the minutes after the quake columns of dust rose into the air, hinting of dust rose into the air, hinting of the devastation. The mexican president says 27 buildings have collapsed in the capital alone. Fires have been reported, and people are being urged not to smoke, because of the danger from gas leaks. 0n the streets of the city a Field Hospital with doctors treating patients anywhere they can. And it is clear that the damage goes well beyond mexico city. The epicentre of the earthquake was actually more than 100 kilometres to the south east in puebla province with reports of deaths and injuries widespread. Earthquake alarms did sound but some residents apparently thought they were part of a day of drills on the anniversary of a devastating quake in 1989. Now the 19th of september will be remembered in mexico city for not one but two disasters. Lets go live tojennifer swaddle. She was in class when the earthquake struck. Tell us more. You were teaching 11 year olds. It was a tremor that got worse and worse . Yes. It felt quite surreal to begin with. Something, it you know, like, a shake. It grew very quickly. Really quite frightening. Desks shaking, chairs up and down. I quickly evacuated the students, who we re quickly evacuated the students, who were really responsive. It was very frightening. You are a teacher, you are used to being in charge. There is no way of being in charge of this. You got them out as fast as he could. Yes. Just as we were leaving the classroom, our outside wall collapsed, so that was really frightening. And nothing really prepares you. Obviously you do your best to be professional and calm. It is hard to discuss. It was a real tough task trying to remain composed. And the children, i know, a lot of their parents must have been working in the city, could they contact them to find out how they were . So we had procedure which is, you know, a very sensible one, which is to leave your belongings. U nfortu nately is to leave your belongings. Unfortunately with those belongings there were mobile phones and there was no way we would let the students go back into the classrooms. So there was a communication issue. And obviously a lot of them were worried about parents in the city centre and so on. That was really frightening as well, the aftermath and the confusion. It must have been com pletely confusion. It must have been completely terrifying. What are you hearing about other areas where people have maybe trapped . There is an awful lot of rubble around, possibly with people underneath it. Yes, so, obviously, now a lot of videos are circulating in my kind of surrounding area with buildings collapsed. I know that the death count wasnt as huge as others in mexico. But in mexico city i feel like there is so much damage and we are still finding out numbers. You can see on social media my mexican friends communicating desperately with one another trying to find out where people are and warning people of areas not to go. It is still not safe. There is the horrible coincidence. The anniversary of another big quake. It leaves people have the earthquake drill earlier in the day. Yes, we had won. I think for a lot of people not necessarily in our school, but for a lot of people they perhaps thought it was another drill. I know that was really frightening for them. I am glad that we have the drill earlier in the day. It got them in the right mindset. It is just a horrific coincidence. Thank you so much for talking to us. Glad you and the stu d e nts talking to us. Glad you and the students are all 0k. Talking to us. Glad you and the students are all ok. Thank you very much. A short time ago i spoke to Elizabeth Baca who was in mexico city when the quake struck. We started to feel the tremor around 1 15 p. M. So i kind of waited inside. Then it started to get stronger. So i heard the alert went off. I ran outside. People were of course running and shouting. This is something not supposed to do. 0utside something not supposed to do. Outside there were a lot of people gathered and crying of course. They we re gathered and crying of course. They were absolutely terrified. It lasted around ten seconds. I am not sure. It seemed eternal. But people were fine, at least, as far as i could see. Some people had passed out. But, i mean, otherthan that, everything seemed 0k. But, i mean, otherthan that, everything seemed ok. But later we found out about serious damages in other areas. What was going through your mind at the time . Well, i was thinking, like, ididnt your mind at the time . Well, i was thinking, like, i didnt know. Your mind at the time . Well, i was thinking, like, ididnt know. In deciding to get out. Everything was moving. I was running through the stairwell. I thought that glass was going to shatter on my face, it you know, all kinds of stuff. But i think i did my best, trying to get out, because if you stay inside the building then you face major risks. Ididnt building then you face major risks. I didnt think i was going to die. I think i was very calm in this situation. There are some people who certainly thought about that. |j situation. There are some people who certainly thought about that. I know a lot of people have described the extra confusion because when people heard the silence they thought perhaps it was part of the drill that had been going earlier or part of the commemoration for the big earlier quake. Yeah, i think authorities did not handle that very well, because at school they told us they were going to have this drill at 11am but some people that were inside houses or at work, they did not know that, so they kind of thought it was part of the commemoration, which it was not. I think they realised it was not the drill as soon as they started to feel it. But still, you have to react quickly and maybe, it kind of got in the way. I know that mexico city alone has reported on collapsed buildings in 44 separate places. Have you been able to go back inside, is it safe . Well, the Civil Protection Society Comes to jack buildings before you go back inside again, soi buildings before you go back inside again, so i guess they came here and they told us it was safe to go in. But of course my building is kind of knew. There were other older buildings that were not ok. So these people were asked not to get inside. They asked friends and family if they could stay in their homes. Dont forget you can get much more detail on all the top stories on the bbc website. And of course, the latest from mexico. The Virgin Islands and puerto rico the next caribbean territories in the path of Hurricane Maria are bracing themselves for the potentially catastrophic impact of the storm. Forecasters say the hurricane has again intensified, with winds of more than 280 kilometres an hour. Jeremy cooke is on the british Virgin Islands and sent this report. She is a mighty force of nature, barrelling in from the atlantic. Hurricane maria hit guadeloupe hard, the french authorities talking of extremely violent winds, ordering people to stay indoors. In martinique, too, high winds and heavy rain, as the hurricane eye passed within 30 miles. Widespread flooding. But perhaps the worst so far has been dominica, conditions so bad, hardly any pictures have emerged. Its rough in dominica, boss. An unverified video posted while the lights went off. The church roof blown in. My neighbours roof gone. Even the Prime Minister could not escape the storm, posting on facebook. Here in the british Virgin Islands, we are getting the first taste of what is to come, with these squalls passing over in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Maria. These communities know full well the damage that can be caused by a powerful hurricane. That is why they are battening down and preparing for the worst. Right until the last minute today, these shattered communities have been doing their best to prepare. If irma was a knockout punch, what is predicted next feels like a low blow. Im homeless. For francine, it is all too much. Because all the shelters are full, and this is the devastation. You notice i have on different shoes. I cant find any clothes you notice how im dressed. We really need help here, because a lot of people are suffering. The harsh reality here is that all the tons of debris cant be fixed down or made safe before the next hurricane is due to hit. Adding to the problems here, the drains are clogged with debris. More flooding seems inevitable. Theres a lot of loose debris all over. The trees, that act like a barricade to the strong winds, all the leaves are gone. Some of the trees have fallen. And the trees hold the hillsides. So, if we have a lot of rain, were going to have some erosion, and potential mudslides. So thats a big concern. Everyone here is doing all they can to prepare, more than 20,000 british citizens facing their second potentially devastating hurricane in as many weeks. President trump in his first address to the General Assembly of the United Nations has threatened north korea with destruction if america or its allies are threatened. He said that pyongyangs desire for Nuclear Weapons threatened the world and he mocked its leader kim jong un as a rocket man on a Suicide Mission. President trump also took aim at the iranian leadership describing it as a corrupt dictatorship that exported violence. 0ur north america editorjon sopel reports from new york. Donald trump is used to being the centre of attention, but rarely has the Global Community waited with such bated breath to hearfrom him at his first address to the un General Assembly, the isolationist, America First president , at the very embodiment of multilateralism and multinationalism. He was more conciliatory, but he was still donald trump. As president of the United States, i will always put America First, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first. He had come to hug his friends and wallop us enemies, and none more so than north korea and their leader, kim jong un, or rocket man, as he called him. In the assembly, north koreas two allocated seats stood conspicuously empty. The United States has great strength and patience. But, if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy north korea. rocket man is on a Suicide Mission for himself, and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able. But hopefully this will not be necessary. 0n the iran nuclear deal, he hinted that america could still walk away from it. You havent heard the last of this, he warned. But he ended up with a rallying cry for strong sovereign nations working together. We will fight together, sacrifice together, and stand together, for peace, forfreedom, forjustice, for family, for humanity, and for the almighty god who made us all. Thank you, god bless you, god bless the nations of the world, and god bless the United States of america. What will stand out from this address will be his comments on north korea, but there is no simple military solution. Well, thank you very much. At a lunch after his outspoken address, the president gave the un a qualified endorsement. And lets give this as a toast to the potential, the great, great potential, of the United Nations. Thank you all for being here. Thank you very much. Whatever its perceived shortcomings, the best way to make progress with pyongyang and on other issues will still be via this body, and the president seems to know it. Is lets quickly round up some of the other menus for you. The president of france has defended the paris climate accord. He has said that the planet is taking revenge on man tom and that traditional differences between north and south will be erased. Russia says its Syrian Army Allies have been coming underfire from us backed rebels in the east of the country. Both the syrian army and the american backed kurdish and arab forces are seeking to seize territory from is around the city of deir ez zour. The Iraqi Kurdish leader says his peoples controversial planned independence referendum could still be called off. Massoud barzani said hed give iraqs Central Government a few days to come up with ideas to form a deal between his kurdish region and baghdad. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come frozen in time divers discover the intact wreck of a First World War german submarine in shallow waters off belgium. Ben johnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. All the athletes should be clean going into the games. Im just happy that justice is served. It is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. Tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. All the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. Its no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. And so the British Government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse judgement in australia. Concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. Greg good to have you with us on bbc news. 0ne main headline this our this hour. At least a hundred and thirty people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck central mexico. The 7. 1 magnitude quake brought down dozens of buildings many are feared to be trapped in the ruins. Hurricane maria has strengthened as it sweeps west across the caribbean. The Virgin Islands and puerto rico are facing a potentially catastrophic impact. We stay with that story. What is the latest their . Right now, i am insane one. That is the only northside the island. Sanjuan. Were starting to feel the effects of hurricane raack. It is scheduled to meet la ndfall raack. It is scheduled to meet landfall about eight a. M. Raack. It is scheduled to meet landfall about eight a. M. Hurricane maria. It will be a very big one. I guess if he sustained winds are at that speed, the gusts will be even stronger, wont they . It has been talked of as the strong a storm to hit the island and 85 yea rs. A storm to hit the island and 85 years. The strongest since 1928. So yes, it has been a really long time since this island has had a storm quite strong. Rick, how prepared is put arrigo . Under the governor said earlier that he was travelling earlier that he was travelling earlier and said that shelters were quite sparse. Puerto rico. At last count, there was about 3200 people in shelters across the island. And government officials, local officials, are literally going to or from door, urging people to get to shelters, because this will be monstrous. Rick, i know you were there to cover the devastation brought by hurricane irma. You must be looking around, of course. The capital, sanjuan, is fairly solid, isnt it . Didnt have to go far outside, though, tell people basically have ten rooms. That is right. Just outside the capital, and especially where the actual hurricane and is expected to cross over, you get small towns that arejust villages built cross over, you get small towns that are just villages built on mountainsides, and our wooden houses with zig roos. They will be devastated by this storm. Zinc roofs. How long do you think the storm will be their . This is a slow moving storm. It will properly ta ke slow moving storm. It will properly take its time to cross puerto rico. There. It will make level at about eight, and wont leave until maybe seven oclock on wednesday. There is a lot of rental and nasty weather coming behind it, also. Either that the storms wins are getting a lot high headlines. But Hurricane Maria will be disastrous. And all that debris still to pick up. A shortage ofjet fuel is causing travel chaos for thousands of passengers in new zealands largest city, auckland. The shortage has caused widespread disruption to air travel since the weekend after a damage pipeline cut the supply to the airport. Now fuel supplies are being taken in by truck and airlines are being rationed. Air new zealand has already cancelled a third of its flights with others being delayed. The wreck of a german submarine that sank during world war one has been found in the north sea. The uboat is said to be in good condition, lying at a depth of thirty metres off the belgian coast. All the hatches are sealed, suggesting that the bodies of the twenty three man crew are probably still on board. Sarah corker reports. Coming out of the darkness deep in the north sea, this german submarine has lain undiscovered since world war i. The now 100 year old u boat is lying on its starboard side and is almost completely intact. Footage filmed by divers show the periscope still sticking out. What became of its crew is something of a mystery. Translation until now we are not sure yet which u boat it is. There are three options. The crew is still onboard. The shutters are still closed, so we presume the crew of 23 are still onboard. Damage to the bow suggests the submarine was hit by a mine. 93 german u boats were stationed in belgium in world war i and disrupting the trade route was part of german tactics. Translation the germans sank 2,554 ships during world war i. They almost brought the british to their knees with a u boats. But the u boats themselves were also targets. 70 were lost at sea. The exact location of this wreck is being kept secret to avoid damage or looting. With the help of the german embassy, officials are now trying to establish the identity of those onboard, missing at sea for all these years. Melania trump has asked an english Language School in croatia to stop using her image in its billboards in zagreb. Just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of english. A lawyer representing the first lady said the school, called the american institute, should not have used the photograph without consent. Its been told to remove the billboards within 2a hours. And briefly, that may story again. A devastating earthquake has hit central mexico, killing about 140 people. It brought down dozens of building a smack in the capital, including a school call it is believed that children are trapped. Large amounts of volunteers have joined Emergency Services in a desperate search for survivors in the city. Much more on all the news at any the city. Much more on all the news atany time the city. Much more on all the news at any time on the bbc website. Thank you for watching. Hello there. We are starting wednesday on a fine note for many, bright with some sunshine, largely dry. But across the north west corner, another weather system moving in, bringing thickening cloud, outbreaks of rain and strengthening winds. You strengthening winds. Can see the weather front he that you can see the weather front here thatis you can see the weather front here that is responsible for bringing the rain through western parts on wednesday morning. You can see behind it, cooler air, wednesday morning. You can see behind it, coolerair, but it wednesday morning. You can see behind it, cooler air, but it is skipping behind it is warmer air. Winds are coming from the south, rather than the arctic north. Heading to wednesday, we start on a nice note. 0ne heading to wednesday, we start on a nice note. One or two mist and fog patches. The rain will push on to Northern Ireland in scotland, then into western parts of england and wales by the time we reach the afternoon. The head of that, each as they mostly dry and warm. 20 or 21 degrees in sunny spells across the east. Through wednesday night, that rain moves its way eastwards. Some could be heavy for parts of scotland into north west england, wales, the west of england. Levels will be running quite high in these areas as that rain band moves slowly through on thursday. It might not reach the five south east. Those areas will be warm and bright. Far south east. Behind that, brighter, but a little fresher. There is the low pressure system going through on thursday. It moves into the north sea. That leaves the refrigerant of High Pressure starting on friday, before the next weather system was through on friday. Starting on a bright note in central, southern, and eastern parts but windy patches to the north. It should be present in the sunshine at 19 or 20 celsius. That is how it is looking across the uk. Lets just look at the caribbean and Hurricane Maria, as you know, has ploughed through domenica, and is now set for puerto rico, the us Virgin Islands and the british Virgin Islands and the british Virgin Islands. It is a category 5 storm, and potentially devastating. Then it will head north, just north of hispanola and at the texan ta ke offs by of hispanola and at the texan take offs by the end of week. Turks and caicos. This is bbc news. The headlines search and rescue operations are under way in mexico after a powerful 7. 1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 130 people. President Enrique Pena Neto said 27 buildings had collapsed in the capital. Some people are feared to be trapped inside. Large numbers of volunteers have joined the Emergency Services as the desperate search for survivors gathers pace. Hurricane maria has strengthened as it sweeps west across the caribbean with winds of more than 280 kilometres an hour. The Virgin Islands and puerto rico are facing a potentially catastrophic impact. President trump has said the International Order is under threat from a small group of rogue nations. Addressing the un General Assembly, mr trump said he would totally destroy north korea if it threatened america. He also claimed iran was being run by a murderous regime. Its just gone 3 30am, time now for panorama. Africas european dream. For people smugglers its a £1 billion business. Did you feel like a slave . I was a slave this is land of slavery. Now europes under pressure to crack down, but at what cost . How many people here know someone whos died . Will the migrant crisis ever end . Im retracing the migrant trail from the shores of the mediterranean back to the heart of africa. My journey starts five miles out at sea