Evening star., 1941-04-16
CoIima Is Reported
Virtually Destroyed
By Mexican Quake
36 Bodies and 100 Injured
Removed From Ruins,
Governor Reports
H. the Associated Press.

~ Ipt HsSDClhlcu FIcSS.
MEXICO CITY April 16.-Gov.
Pedro Torres Ortiz of Colima State
telegraphed the government infor-
nation Office today that the city of
Colima, which has a population of
$4,000, was almost totally de-
stroyed" in yesterdays earthquake.
Federal troops have removed SO
bodies and nearly 100 of the in
jured from the ruins, the Governor
telegraphed. The full toll of dead
and injured in the towns of the
seven States in the southern earth
quake belt may not be known for
days.
Colima, capital of Colima State,
ATS miles west of Mexico City, ap-
peared to be hardest hit of the towns
able to communicate with the capi-
tai. Gov. Pedro Torres Ortiz radioed
that half of the city's $4,000 resi-
dents were homeless dead, or in
jured.
Planes Garry Relief.
-Four military planes loaded with
medical supplies and carrying three
doctors to supplement the doctors
and nurses who left by automobile
last night departed for Colima this
morning on orders of President
Manuel Avila Camacho.
The government press Office said
the War Ministry was trying to COM
nunicate with military authorities
by radio in Colima, but that so far
their efforts had been vain.
Telegraph and telephone COM
munications were still disrupted in
the stricken area.
Mexico City still lacked totals for
casualties and damage in the va
rious parts of the republic.
Volcano Eruption Starts Fires.
Colima Volcano, near Colima,
erupted, Gov. Torres Ortiz said,
kindling forest fires that seriously
menaced the shattered city.
Mexico City sustained damage
estimated unofficially at more than
81 100000 when heavy shocks wrecked
buildings and started fire in the
industrial area that leveled a square
block
The temblor, which began with
violent shocks lasting five minutes
in Colima, tapering off in series of
lesser tremors, apparently centered
In the historic earthquake center of
Chilpancingo, about so miles inland
from the Pacific Coast resort town
Of Acapulco.
Chilpancingo is about TOO miles
due south of Laredo. Tex.
Destruction Widespread.
Destruction and undetermined
numbers of casualties were reported
from Guadalajara, capital of Jalisco
state and Mexico's second largest
city; Manzanillo, important Pacific
Coast port, and a dozen other cities
across the country-as far east as
Maltrata in Veracruz state which
borders on the Gulf of Mexico.
(The master of the United
States steamer West Munargo re-
ported by wireless that his ship,
when off Manzanillo, had been
shaken by the quake and that
tremendous cloud of dust was
seen TO mushroom from the
land)
First reports from Colima said
numerous smaller towns around the
city had been raZed and that the
forests in the area were "a roaring
mass of flames" A radio message
from an operator who identified
himself as an amateur sending from
Colima said at least 80 persons were
dead.
The Colima power dam collapsed.
leaving the city in darkness and
hampering troops and volunteer
rescue work.
The superintendent of the Colima
division of the Southern Pacific
Railroad said a gigantic landslide
had blocked the tracks for a half
mile, to depth of 36 feet in some
places.
Few Injuries in Mexico City.
No fatalities and only few in
turies were reported in Mexico City,
where the quake lasted only 80 sec
onds. Most of the 1,754,000 residents
poured into the streets where
pedestrians already knelt on the
sidewalks to pray while windows
shattered and bricks rained around
them.
Gaping cracks split the sides of
buildings in the business section,
but most severely damaged Of the
city's large structures was the $780,
900 Pontiac Building. where large
section of brick veneer eight stories
high peeled of and crashed into
the street.
The five-story Excelsior Building,
where the Associated Press Office is
located, swayed so widely that water
sloshed into the streets from storage
tanks on its roof.
An,v panorfa1 KiIIad