Debris from a collapsed wall sits in Oaxaca, Mexico, after an earthquake early Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. A massive 8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city.(AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)
Debris from a collapsed wall sits in Oaxaca, Mexico, after an earthquake early Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. A massive 8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city.(AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)
People who evacuated from bars stand in the street in La Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, after an earthquake shook buildings forcefully and knocked out power in the area, just after midnight on Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. A massive 8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A general view of Mexico City after an earthquake, in the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. A massive 8.1-magnitude earthquake hit off Mexico's southern coast, toppling houses in Chiapas state, causing at least three deaths and setting off a tsunami warning, officials said Friday.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Guest of an hotel stand and sit at the lobby after an earthquake shook buildings forcefully and knocked out power in the area, just after midnight in Veracruz, Mexico, Friday Sept. 8, 2017. A massive 8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city and Veracruz state.(AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People who evacuated from bars check their phones in the street in La Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, after an earthquake shook buildings forcefully and knocked out power in the area, just before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. A massive earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into o the streets in panic as far away as the capital city. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
People who evacuated from bars during an earthquake stand in the street in La Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, sections of which lost power, just before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. A massive earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into o the streets in panic as far away as the capital city. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
People who evacuated from bars check their phones in the street in La Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, after an earthquake shook buildings forcefully and knocked out power in the area, just before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. A massive earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into o the streets in panic as far away as the capital city. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The LDS Church expressed its sorrow and support for victims of a massive 8.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast early Friday morning.
Eric Hawkins, speaking for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the quake was all the more shocking, coming so closely in the wake of the deadly Hurricane Harvey-related catastrophe in Texas, and just days ahead of expectations of massive damage from Hurricane Irma expected to hammer Florida this weekend.
“With the rest of the world, we are deeply concerned about the many natural disasters that have occurred around the globe in recent weeks,” Hawkins stated. “Last night’s earthquake in Mexico affected thousands of people, and we pray for their safety and well-being.”
As of Friday morning, Mexican authorities had confirmed 32 quake-related fatalities, but the death toll was expected to climb as rescuers sort through the rubble of collapsed buildings throughout the nation’s Chiapas state.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said the initial quake, which had an epicenter 102 miles west of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, was the strongest temblor to hit his country in a century.
At 8.2, it was stronger than the 8.1-magnitude quake that struck Mexico City in 1985, killing thousands and devastating large sections of the capital.
The LDS Church has two missions directly affected by the quake: the Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez and Mexico Oaxaca missions. All missionaries in those areas are safe and accounted for, Hawkins said.
Noting the quake was felt far beyond Tapachula, Hawkins said the Utah-based LDS Church was still checking on other, more distant missions and members.
”The condition of other church facilities and the earthquake’s impact to other members are unknown at this time,” Hawkins said. “We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”