Thursday, September 18, 2025

40 buildings fell during earthquake due to corruption, organization charges

An investigation conducted by an anti-graft group has determined that corruption caused the collapse of more than 40 buildings in Mexico City during the September 19, 2017 earthquake.

The probe completed by Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI, or Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity) called Why did my building fall? concluded that the collapses could be traced back to the negligence of city government authorities whose conduct was founded in corruption.

MCCI investigative journalism director Salvador Camarena outlined the nature of the negligence and corruption at the presentation of the investigation results.

“. . . For years, authorities of the government of the Federal District, later Mexico City, ignored residents who reported buildings that violated land use laws, buildings that went up without permits or buildings that had damage from the 1985 earthquake but were rebuilt to be sold off as apartments or new properties,” he said.

The probe also said that 228 people lost their lives in properties built with low-quality materials or in new buildings that were built on old foundations.

Camarena lamented that no officials who “defrauded the trust of citizens from a public position” had been held accountable in a court for their actions.

He also criticized the fact that it is not possible to easily access information about a building’s history including the construction method used.

“Every one of you is standing in a black hole of disinformation with respect to the safety of the building you live and work in . . .” Camarena said.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.

Less smuggling, more import tax collection: The goals of Mexico’s biggest customs reform in decades

0
Placing customs under military control failed to eliminate the agency's notorious corruption problem. Can a high-tech overhaul make the difference?

Fed rate cut sends peso to strongest level vs. dollar in more than a year

2
Wednesday's closing rate of 18.32 pesos per dollar represented a 0.2% gain from Monday's session, capping the peso's eighth consecutive day of strengthening against the greenback.
sacks of drugs

US names Mexico among 23 principal drug-producing countries while praising its anti-cartel crackdown

13
Mexico's inclusion was hardly a surprise, but it was noteworthy that the Trump administration praised the Sheinbaum administration for its increasing cooperation.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity