A quiet zone indicates
that energy is being accumulated in the earth,
which will be released through a great earthquake.
The Mexico City fault line has been seismically quiet for over 80 years,
...until today.
GENERAL HOSPITAL MEXICO FEDERAL DISTRICT
SEPTEMBER 19, 1985
VACCINATION DAY 198
-Hi, good morning. -Hi, good morning. How are you?
Good.
PUNCH CLOCK
Rosario.
-Hi, sis. How are you? -Very well, and you?
-Good. -Hey, they want you in the emergency room.
-Thanks. Did you have breakfast? -Yeah. And you?
Yes, I'm going.
-Good morning, doc. -Morning.
Go ahead.
EVERY MINUTE COUNTS
-May I have the record? -Of course.
Thank you.
-Thanks, Vicky. -You're welcome.
Hello.
Here's Victoria Hurtado's patient record.
Doctor?
Yes, they're about to go out.
Really, I'm sorry, doctor. I swore it was coming early.
No, it's fine. It happens a lot with indigestion.
How embarrassing. And what a scare.
Dr. Zambrano, please report...
Count your contractions. Ask your grandmother to help, okay?
Yes. Yes, thank you.
Dr. Zambrano.
But you're fine.
I don't want to see you until you're in labor.
-Okay. -Excuse me, doctor,
but Dr. Carlos Vargas needs you urgently in the obstetrics ward.
-What happened now? -Well, he's very worried.
Her heart rate is falling, doctor. She's in bradycardia.
Deep breath when there's no contraction.
-Okay, we're going to push here. -Here it comes.
Here it comes.
That's it.
100 beats per minute, doctor.
We should do something. It won't recover.
What's wrong, doctor?
Nothing. I need you to breathe and push. Come on.
Here it comes.
That's it, you're almost done.
That's it.
Down to 80 beats per minute, doctor.
We have to do something. She has to have a cesarean.
What's wrong with my baby?
Nothing, listen to me.
You're going to breathe and keep pushing.
-Now, push. You also breathe, doctor. -Keep pushing. There.
Breathe, come on. It's coming.
-Doctor, please. -Why hasn't he come out?
-She has to have a cesarean. -Some babies take more time
but it's going to be fine.
One last big push. Come on, Mommy. All out, come on.
-There you go, that's it. -Stay calm.
-Well done. -Well done.
-That's it. -How my baby, doctor?
-Ready? -Is my baby okay, doctor?
He's being checked. Don't worry.
Don't worry.
What's wrong with him?
Why isn't he crying? My baby isn't crying.
-Wait. -Why isn't he crying?
What will be your baby's name?
Ricardo.
Ricardo Aja Ledesma.
What a beautiful name! Good job.
-Congratulations on your child. -Good job.
Make a note, Chave.
September 19, 1985.
Time, 6:59 a.m.
Dr. Miró, please report to the psychiatry department.
Here you go.
You just have to check on this one.
-I'm going for breakfast. Want anything? -No, thank you, Dr. Zambrano.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
Not so fast. Watch the focus.
Nearly a year and you can't use the zoom. You'll never learn this way.
Of course I'll learn.
If you had a little more patience with me, I'd learn faster.
Sure, you're always on the other side, showing off.
Okay. You do it.
Go on.
"You do it."
-Okay, enough. -Really?
-Ready? -Ready.
Five, four, three, two.
We're in the heart of the historical center of the Federal District,
next to the imposing church of--
"Imposing church."
-Are you being smart? -No, sure. It was imposingly smart.
You're moving a lot. Just talk clearly.
Okay, I'm going to do it right.
Ready?
-Ready. -Five, four, three, two.
Good morning, dear XCQ listeners. It's 7:04 on Thursday morning...
Josecito, I'm leaving now.
No, wait. Wait.
-What? -Where to?
-Stop it, José. -Just a little bit?
Not even a little bit. You know my boss gets upset
if we turn up with creased uniforms. Get off.
I'm going to get upset if you don't give me anything.
Come on.
Hold on, it won't be long now until Manzanillo.
Wait. Wait, another one. Okay, just one.
I'm running late.
You're hopeless.
LA REFORMA RESTAURANT
I want to be wrapped in your arms
So there's no space between you and me
To be the taste of your mouth
...me with your scent
To be a confidant
And to know who you are inside
Like a living tattoo
to soak myself in your being
Don't erase me from you
Kids.
Did you put a battery in the car?
-No, sorry, I'll go down-- -Are you kidding?
I'm going to be late for work.
And it's not like you remember that.
You haven't had work for a year, right?
I should be making the kids' lunch, not you.
Calm down, Gabriela.
That's what I want, to be calm for one day of my life,
knowing that you're doing your part too.
Beto, Lucía.
-Where's your sister, honey? -I don't know.
Your dad will take you to school.
What?
Lucía must be with that boy.
At least control your daughter, okay?
Beto, turn that off already.
Let's see how I get there.
Beto, go find your sister, while I change.
Go, she must be upstairs in Pablo's apartment.
Hurry, see you downstairs in the car.
...the honor of welcoming Ignacio Zambrano,
Private Secretary to our country's Secretary of Tourism,
who is an essential part of the organization of the next World Cup.
I just came to say hello.
My mom's going to kill me if I don't go to school.
Did your dad hit you again?
If it weren't for you, I would have gone to Acapulco by now.
Let's go together.
What are you saying?
What are you going to do? Ski while I fix my uncle's boats?
I don't know and I don't care.
But if we stay here, one day your dad will really kill you.
Let's go, right now.
We have to plan it properly.
You're a minor, Lu, and I don't want to end up in jail either.
It's your dad that should be in jail.
Doctor.
One more minute, and he was at risk of ending up with cerebral palsy.
You questioned my authority in the OR.
No, I followed my instincts. I think the right thing to do--
Instinct? You are an intern. You have no instinct, nothing.
Just a hot head and want to operate, like everyone coming out of med school.
Look, doctor, I think this time you took too many risks.
Don't come back to the hospital.
Sorry, doctor, I overslept.
-Good morning. -Doctor. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you.
We're exchanging shifts because I have to go to the US Embassy.
Pepín got a job in the Kentucky Derby,
and he's taking Josefa with him to learn English.
For how long?
Only until Christmas, but I have to go do the paperwork.
You're not going, are you?
No, doctor. Not at all.
For now, I'm staying here.
How long have you been on duty, doctor?
I'm fine. I'm going to have breakfast with your husband.
Ricardo Aja is in the nursery.
Chavelita, when are you going to tell him you're leaving?
We'll talk later, sis. We'll talk later.
Thanks.
No, honey, in the back. Go on.
Do you want to put the hat on?
Yes, his grandmother made it for him.
Hello.
He looks a lot like me, right?
Very much. Do you want a photo with him?
Yes, please.
Come here, come here, yeah.
Yes, yes, yes.
Let me see.
Hold his head.
-Yes. -There you go.
-My love. -Hey, you. Hi.
-Hey, hey, hey. -Ready?
One, two, three.
-Morning. -Morning.
Get in.
Sorry. There's space in the back.
I'll pay for the trip. Let's go. I'll pay the fare.
-You'll pay for everyone? -Yes, here.
Thanks.
-Are you selling contraband? -What makes you say that, doc?
But I need advice from an educated man, like you.
Oh, geez.
You see, the thing is when my Hilda and I got married,
I didn't have enough even for a wedding cake.
And after 20 years of putting up with me, she deserves a good ring, don't you think?
-I know which one. -Yeah?
The most expensive.
Okay. I'm going to give it to her on the beach.
Mexico will become the first country to host two World Cups.
And well, this is very important for the country
because the World Cup attracts a lot of foreign investment.
Is it shaking?
-It's shaking. -Careful, don't let them near the glass.
No, no, no.
Shall we go down?
It's a very strong tremor.
Oh, no, God.
Josefa, help me with the babies.
Careful, hold on.
-It's strong, isn't it? -Yes, let's go outside.
Careful.
-Let's go now. Leave all that. -It's new.
José?
José.
José, are you okay?
Are you okay?
-What happened? -I don't know.
-What happened? -It collapsed. Can you walk?
I need to know how Hilda is.
Let's go to the hospital. Let's go! Come on.
-Are you sure? -Yes. Come on.
My children.
No, no, no.
Hey, get down!
Shut up!
It all came down!
Ma'am.
How many tragedies must be unfolding right now?
How much news we're missing right now?
Come on, let's go.
Quick.
Come on. I'll take this.
Look, record.
There, look.
Mom.
-Are you all right? -This is the end.
-Is all that smoke caused by collapses? -I don't know, Chave.
I have to go back to the hospital.
First let's check if my mom is okay.
You go ahead. I'll catch up.
We won't split up. We have to stick together.
-It's just-- -No way, Chave.
-Please. -Look...
If this smoke is due to collapses, Pepín,
you know how many wounded will go there?
I can't leave Hilda with all of them.
-Hilda or Dr. Zambrano? -Man, don't start.
Did you at least tell him you're moving to Kentucky?
-Man-- -Don't fight!
No way. We have to get out of here.
Take Josefa to your mom's and find me at the hospital.
-We're going to need all hands. -No, Mom.
Look, we're fine, thank God, honey.
But I'm a nurse. I have to tend to the wounded.
It's up to you to be strong.
Please be careful.
I love you so much.
Sweetheart. Don't worry. Your mom will be fine.
We're walking the streets of the Department of the Federal District,
and we just passed through two neighborhoods that collapsed.
In the distance there are several smoke and dust plumes
that probably signal more collapsed buildings.
People are on the street.
They're very afraid.
We're experiencing what's probably the worst catastrophe of our times.
Camila, you don't know that for sure.
-It's easy to guess. -No, it's easy to invent.
Just 20 minutes ago, we heard the roar of the earth
and since then, anguish has taken over our hearts.
Stop! Please stop!
Take me to the General Hospital.
Be careful. I almost ran you over.
-I'm a nurse. -Yes, I see.
-Please. -Camila, we have to take her.
We can't. Sorry.
Find someone else. Sorry.
-Remove the incubators. -Okay. Help me, please. Okay.
-Someone take care of him. -Help me, please.
We have to reach Televisa.
Television and radio signals are down.
We need to see if they have anything we can communicate with.
The way's blocked.
We can't go beyond this point. This is as far as we go.
What do we do?
We'll have to walk there.
So let's go.
Let's go.
I'll help you, come on.
Is anyone there?
Hey.
What's your name? Look me in the eye. What's your name?
-Samuel. -Samuel, look me in the eyes.
-Can you walk? -Yes.
-Let's go to the hospital. -Are you a doctor?
Yes, come on, follow me.
No, it's this way, buddy.
-Hey, Pepe? Talk to him, keep him with us. -Okay.
-What do you want us to call you? -Samuel.
Samuel? Just that? No last name? Don't you have a dad, mom, or what?
Okay?
-Watch out below. -Yes.
-Doctor? -Yes?
I can't breathe, doctor.
Can you walk?
Come on, to the General Hospital. Come.
-But it collapsed. -No, it didn't. Come on, stand up.
Hospitals don't collapse, ma'am. They are made to endure.
Come on, leave the shoe. Let's go.
You'll see, Chuy. This report is going to make us famous.
Move, everybody move.
Don't just stand there, film it.
No, I'm going to Guadalajara. I want to be with my family.
And you should do the same.
To Guadalajara?
What for?
The most important news center in Latin America just collapsed.
Do you know how important our work is right now?
The city is practically destroyed,
and we may be the only ones with the footage we already have,
with a camera to keep documenting.
The hospital is in one piece, let's go.
Let's go there.
Doctor, help me!
Come on, dude.
Come on.
Come on, dude.
-I can't. -Help, doctor!
-Nurse, let's go inside. -Doctor!
Come on. Not much more.
Yes, almost there.
There you go.
You made it. Just a little bit more.
-Dr. Zambrano. -Doctor, he has a head injury.
-What's going on? -Safety protocol.
Some walls have cracks.
-Okay. -He has internal bleeding.
I've to go to gynecology. Stabilize him. I'll try to find Dr. Moreno.
Make way for the doctor.
Come this way. I'll sit you down.
Let's make a human chain.
Pass me the babies. One by one, very carefully.
Doctor, the nurses need more hands in the nursery.
There are more babies upstairs.
Watch out! They're carrying babies in their arms!
Give them to me.
-Where's my Hilda? -She's fine.
I'm going to see her now and tell her you're here.
Yes.
-We have to take them outside. -Outside?
-Let's go outside. -Shit.
-Outside? -Yes.
Make room! Babies on the way!
Everyone out! This can collapse at any moment!
Come on! Come on, come on.
We have to get the newborns out. The building is about to collapse.
-Here, take them. -Here.
Watch his head.
We can't go back into the building.
It's about to collapse.
Hilda!
We have to get them out!
-Pepe. Pepe! -Hilda!
Wait, Pepe!
Hilda!
YNECOBSTETRICS
The earthquake of September 19, 1985 released the energy
equivalent to 1,114 atomic bombs, like the one dropped on Hiroshima...
22,280 kilotons released during a minute and a half. d on Hiroshima...