IN PICS | Powerful earthquake of 7.1 magnitude strikes Mexico

The quake is the deadliest in Mexico since a 1985 quake on the same date killed thousands. It came less than two weeks after another powerful quake caused 90 deaths in the country's south.

A powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in plumes of dust and killing at least 250 people. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped. In pic: A rescue dog helps workers look  

The quake is the deadliest in Mexico since a 1985 quake on the same date killed thousands. It came less than two weeks after another powerful quake caused 90 deaths in the country's south. In pic: A man comforts a frightened student as he collects her from her school in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

Dozens of buildings tumbled into mounds of rubble or were severely damaged in densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby states. In pic: Mexican soldiers walk towards earthquake damaged areas to help in the rescue and recovery efforts after a 7.1 earthquake in Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said buildings fell at 44 places in the capital alone as high-rises across the city swayed sickeningly. In pic: The Jojutla Municipal Palace stands heavily damaged after a 7.1 earthquake, in Jojutla, Morelos state, Mexico. (Photo | AP)

Luis Felipe Puente, head of the national Civil Defense agency, reported on Tuesday night that the confirmed death toll had been raised to 250. In pic: Men hug, crying with joy, as they reunite hours after an earthquake in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

Hours after the magnitude 7.1 quake, rescue workers were still clawing through the wreckage of a primary school that partly collapsed in the city's south looking for any children who might be trapped. Some relatives said they had received Whatsapp message from two girls inside. In pic: Rescue workers search for children trapped inside the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school in Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

The federal government declared a state of disaster in Mexico City, freeing up emergency funds. President Enrique Pena Nieto said he had ordered all hospitals to open their doors to the injured. In pic: Patients lie on their hospital beds after being evacuated following an earthquake in Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

Rescue workers carry out the covered body of a child recovered from the rubble of the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school in Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

Mancera, the Mexico City mayor, said 50 to 60 people were rescued alive by citizens and emergency workers in the capital. Authorities said at least 70 people in the capital had been hospitalized for injuries. In pic: Volunteers pick up the rubble from a building that collapsed during an earthquake in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

First responders work on removing the rubble of a collapsed building looking for survivors trapped underneath, after a 7.1 earthquake in Mexico City. (Photo | AP)

A woman hugs a child outside a school in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City. (Photo | AP)