Phoenix man touring Mexico helping out with earthquake rescue efforts

A Phoenix native was in Mexico City, when Tuesday's deadly earthquake struck near the city.

As of Wednesday night, at least 230 people have died, as a result of the quake.

Pierce Mettler was on the fourth floor of a hostel in Mexico City, when the quake struck. Mettler is on a two-year trip to Central America, and FOX 10 Phoenix spoke with Mettler in early September, when a quake struck on September 8, off the coast of Mexico's Chiapas state.

"Immediately obvious, the curtain shades were rocking back and forth, and I've never gone down four flights of stairs faster in my life," said Mettler.

Mettler's building was OK, but he immediately set out to see if he could help, walking past groups of frightened schoolchildren and others out on the street, along the way.

"Within 15 minutes or so, walked up on a building," recounted Mettler. "I'm not sure how tall it was, maybe eight stories, just completely in shambles, and hundreds, hundreds of people on top of the rubble trying to clear it out with buckets. Just by hand, moving stones."

Mettler said he believes he spent about five hours there.

"It was at least a thousand people there, down each street in every direction getting rid of the rubble," recounted Mettler. "There was so much, it was pretty overwhelming. Every few minutes they would ask everyone to be quiet, be yelling silencio, silencio, and holding up signs saying silencio. From what I hear, it's because in the rubble, they were trying to hear if they could hear people talking, and locate people."

Pierce was planning on being in Mexico City for several more weeks, and said even after two earthquakes, he has no plans to leave early.

"If I can help out here in a way that I won't be getting in anyones way, I'll stay as long as I have to," said Mettler.

Metter said what amazed him most was the amount of people who showed up to help dig through the rubble looking for trapped victims, using anything they could find, until the first responders and equipment arrived.