MEXICAN EARTHQUAKE.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16728, 10 January 1920, Page 9

MEXICAN EARTHQUAKE.

• MANY TOWNS DESTROYED. (By Cahl»—Press Association—Copyright.) (Australian and X.Z. Cable Association.) (Received January 9th, 9 p.m.) MEXICO CITY, January 8. The town of Conzctlan was destroyed br Saturday's earthquake, one thousand persons being killed. The entire garrison of Teocelo was killed. A dozen towns in tho State of Vera Cruz were partlv or totally destroyed. The village of Calcahualco was engulfed with numbers of its inhabitants. At Coscomatopec many unidentified corpses float in tho sulplrurons stream of the river San Juan. _ fA previous message dated January •>th said -. —A violent earthquake was experienced over a large part of Moxico to-day, ten of tho States of tho republic being severely shaken. Apparently tho centre ol tho disturbance was nenr the Pico di Orizaba, a volcano 18,500 feet high, in Vera Cruz, near the eastern see.board, the shock being so heavy that it was felt for a distance of 500 miles Two villages, Teoeolo and Couzetlan, which ftood close to tho volcano, were destroyed. In l>oth these villages heavy casualties were suffered. I he d«>ath-roll is not yet complete, but it is believed that tho victims will number several hundred. In the town of Orizaba, in tho neighbourhood of the mountain a crowd in a theatre became panic-stricken, and made a frantic rush tor the doorways. The exits became choked, and many of tho audience were knocked down, trampled on, and severe- ]•< injured. A ntimlx'r of buildings in the senr>ort of \ era Crur, were destroyed by the earthquake, and manv of their occupants were killed by tho falling timbers and masonry.]