Trapped Survivors Cry Out for Help; 760 Bodies Found : Aftershocks Continue in Mexico City

Thousands of rescue workers, guided by piercing cries of “help,” clawed today through collapsed buildings and fed trapped survivors through tubes in the rubble of a devastating earthquake that officials said killed at least 760 people.

New tremors shook central Mexico today, and radio stations broadcast appeals every few minutes for surgical instruments, blood, medical supplies, food and picks and shovels to dig through rubble.

The Mexican Red Cross said at least 760 people had been confirmed killed in the Thursday morning quake, local television reported. Unconfirmed newspaper reports spoke of possibly 3,000 dead in Mexico City and 300 killed elsewhere.

“I would not dare give a number,” said a grim-faced Mayor Ramon Aguirre of Mexico City.

1,000 Entombed

He said an estimated 1,000 people were entombed in collapsed buildings in this huge, teeming city. Desperate rescue teams clambered over the ruins in search of the living and the dead.

Five thousand other people have been treated for injuries, Aguirre said.

Mexico City and four coastal states, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacan, were hardest hit by the 7:18 a.m. quake, which leveled cathedrals, schools, hospitals, hotels and scores of other buildings --at least 250 buildings in Mexico City alone, according to Aguirre.

The tremor measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, making it the strongest to rock Mexico since 1973. A series of aftershocks have followed, the strongest occurring shortly after 7 a.m. today. (American seismologists said the aftershocks, in the 4-5 Richter range would probably not cause major new damage.)

‘Like a Big Monster’

“It’s like a big monster,” said a disbelieving volunteer rescue worker, Juan-Carlos Christy, outside a destroyed hotel. “It’s like being bombed or in a war.”

Children wandered the streets, crying and calling out for their parents.

Spanish maritime officials said five merchant ships and four trawlers disappeared in the Pacific Ocean 135 miles west of Acapulco in the vicinity of the earthquake in seas thrashed by 65-foot waves. The officials said nationalities of the missing vessels were not known.

In Washington, the State Department said early today it had no reports of Americans killed or injured, and authorities in Mexico City said there was no immediate indication that any Americans were among the victims.

Reagan Offers Help

The State Department said President Reagan sent a message to President Miguel de la Madrid offering full U.S. assistance, but there was no immediate word on the Mexican response.

The Mexico City television station Televisa said 10,000 soldiers were deployed in the city of 17 million to prevent looting and keep people away from buildings still in danger of collapse.

Thousands of people spent the night outside because they had no homes to return to or feared buildings still standing might collapse. Temporary shelters were set up in offices and public buildings.

Bulldozers and cranes removed mountains of broken concrete, bricks and glass, and Aguirre said 50,000 workers were taking part in cleanup and rescue operations.

Gas and power lines snapped by the quake touched off dozens of fires, some of which still burned today. Half the capital was blacked out Thursday night, but power was being gradually restored this morning, along with some telephone service. Officials said water supplies would be irregular for at least three days.

Related stories, Pages 16, 17, 18.