Earthquake leaves 23 dead amid rubble

A POWERFUL earthquake has ripped through western and central Mexico, killing at least 23 people and injuring about 160 as dozens of homes and buildings collapsed.

The death toll continued to rise last night as emergency crews surveyed the full extent of the damage hours after the ground had stopped shaking.

The Mexican Red Cross said 21 people had died in Colima, a small state about 300 miles (500km) west of Mexico City, and two others were killed in the neighbouring state of Jalisco.