The Guardian

Frida Sofía, age 12: the Mexico City quake 'survivor' who was never there

The story of a child supposedly alive in the rubble of the Enrique Rebsámen school gripped the country – until it became clear she didn’t exist
A priest holds an outdoor Catholic Mass near the collapsed Enrique Rebsámen school. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

The story captivated a country still reeling from catastrophe: rescue workers were labouring round the clock to free a 12-year-old girl who had miraculously survived Mexico’s devastating earthquake, but remained trapped in the ruins of her school.

Television channels broadcast breathless updates describing how the rescuers were inching closer to the cavity

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