[UPDATED: 2017-09-20@1925 UTC] The FMRE National Emergency Net (Red Nacional de Emergencia or RNE) activated Tuesday on 7.060 MHz following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the central Mexico state of Puebla at 1814 UTC. The epicenter was some 75 miles southeast of Mexico City, which also felt the temblor and suffered damage.

FMRE President Al Tomez, XE2O, said participation from Mexican radio amateurs has been excellent, and two mobile communication units have been deployed, one south of Mexico City, where communication problems have been reported, and the other in communities surrounding the city, where communication problems exist. A FMRE representative has been stationed in the emergency operations center in Mexico City too.

Most of the traffic, Tomez said, has involved missing persons. The FMRE National Emergency Net also may use 3.690 MHz and 14.120 MHz as well as IRLP reflector 9200 channel 08, and EchoLink.

Tomez said communication problems persist because of the heavy volume of calls and message traffic over the cell telephone networks. Around 300 people have been killed and 30 buildings collapsed, he said.

The earthquake came 32 years to the day after a 1985 magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck the Mexico City, killing some 9,500 people in and around the capital city. Just one week ago, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck off Mexico’s southern coast, killing more than 60 people and causing considerable damage.