talking about rocket man and destroying north korea. and then you see secretary of state rex tillerson, defense secretary jim mattis all still talking about diplomacy which is where most people in the administration think we're going to end up. >> helen cooper, i wish we had more time to get into this. i have three seconds to turn it over to velshi and rhule. thank you for being back. all yours. >> you can always go longer. >> tell that to my executive produce per. >> all right. we'll have that conversation. it's been great to have you here. >> we'll probably talk later. lots of stuff happening. good morning. i'm ali velshi. >> i'm stephanie rhule. we got a lot cover this morning. let's get started. >> this morning the death toll is rising but there are glimmers of hope among the devastation. more survivors pulled alive from the rubble. >> there's about 20 kids that we still don't know how they are, if they're even alive.

>> the entire focus of this nation is right here. this is the school where 21 young elementary school-aged children were killed after that earthquake struck. the operation right now is dire. it is a race against time. >> they're asking us to whisper because search teams are actually trying to find a 12-year-old girl named frida inside the school. they're trying to listen for her voice. >> what they're trying to do is pull the debris off. they have to do it so carefully, so delicately. >> hurricane maria gaining strength after cutting a path of destruction in puerto rico. >> streets are impassable, many of them are flooded. and this morning we're just starting to see the extent of the damage as the sun comes up. this building torn apart. the siding crushing this car. >> you can see that the doors just completely blew off the bank. the shutters are twisted,

mangled messes here. >> one rain gauge is reporting 36 inches in 24 hours. that's as much as houston got in three days. >> i'm just concerned we may not get to everybody in time. and that is a great weight on my shoulders. >> that is the mayor of san juan, puerto rico. let's start with breaking news in mexico where the death toll continues to climb. 45 hours after the devastating earthquake there, this is a live look at the school in mexico city where a desperate search has been going on day and night for survivors. and this a look at la roma, mexico, the site of another building collapse. rescue crews on the scene with a very slow task of trying to remove rubble by hand in many cases and to try to find survivors. now the latest details on the earthquake. the number of dead stands at 230. the search korcontinues day and night for survivors. the school collapsed when the earthquake hit. 21 children were killed there.

reports from the scene say a child who is being called frida sophia is still alive buried underneath a pile of heavy debris. indications are that sit is not the child's actual name, but that's what she's being called by reports. >> mariana atencio joins us from mexico city. mariana is standing just outside the school. she'll be able to respond to us in a quiet voice, but what's happening in this rescue, the rescuers have raised both arms. that is a signal that says they are hearing sounds possibly from this little girl. so in order to continue to communicate with her, to try to figure out where she is in the debris, they've asked the entire crowd to stay silent. this is a symbol we've seen over the last few days. so mariana, i know you have to be very quiet, but, please, what is the latest you can report? >> reporter: so stephanie, i can whisper now for you. what i can tell you is that i've

been here since 6:00 in the morning and this is the first time just a couple of minutes ago i saw people putting their fists up in the air, calling for silence because they are trying to communicate with who we believe may be this girl frida sophia or with other children who are underneath the rubble in this primary school behind me. the scene here just got very tense. we've seen doctors go inside asking -- being rolled inside to where the school is where these rescues are happening. we have seen this scene over and over again. especially intensify in the last hour. i spoke to a paramedic on the scene who said there are signs of life. that's why they are here otherwise they would not be here. so again, there's a sense of urgency here even though conversations are reduced to a whisper. i'm here with one of the first responders. i want to give you guys an idea

just of the very basic necessities that are needed here. tell me some of -- this is a list you've compiled for people to bring donations. >> yeah. every hour, almost every hour we made a list. and the list is just the things we need right now. just for you people to know what we need -- really need. >> and again, guys, if you read this list -- it's in spanish -- but things here are basic. like goggles, they need tools to cut through concrete. they need people to bring iv fluids. they need people to bring those light flames. very basic things, again, we're talking just more than 30 hours in, a few days into this rescue. first responders still need these very basic things. and this list is updated every hour? >> almost every hour. you have to look for the hour in this place and you have to see the date. and this is the thing we need right now. maybe in two hours we won't need

this anymore. you have to look at the list updated. >> reporter: i've seen people call out is there a doctor, are there volunteers. is that how dire things are? the most basic people and things are needed? >> yeah. the people is going to bring us everything. all the time. >> reporter: thank you for your work. i'll let you go back. also, guys, they have set up a tent inside to provide psychological support for many of the parents who are still in there hoping that their children come out alive. i've been able to talk via telephone with the main psychologist on the ground behind me. it's set up in one of the tents, one of the blue tents over there to the right. and he said that, you know, you can't imagine the state the parents are in right now. clinging to hope and hoping that -- hoping for the best, really, at 30 hours in. again, you still have very nervous parents and an entire nation watching these images

right now. and waiting and watching and seeing if frida sophia and some of the children that first responders believe she's been in touch with will emerge from the rubble. >> how old is this girl? >> reporter: we have learned, stephanie, just in the past few hours more about her. according to local reports, she's believed to be the ages of 9 and 13. also local media is saying that her name might actually not be frida. that might have been a misunderstanding by first responders. because they have accounted for all the fridas in the school. and also for all the sophias in the school. because you can imagine, frida is a name that evokes so much here in mexico after the famous painter. it is almost kind of captured the hope and the imagination of this country, the search for this little girl 30 hours in. as we know, also, it is not only this school.

other pockets of mexico city and even places like puebla 75 miles from mexico city dealing with these same scenes. so this little girl and this name even if it's not her real name, they have really captured the resilience and hope of this country as it deals with the tragedy of the earthquake. >> and the first responders have told you she's under a table? she's in a pocket? >> reporter: according also to local reports, it is believed she is under a granite table in the english language classroom of the school. that's why she has been able to live because it's -- she's under a very strong table. that's what she told first responders, according to local media yesterday. they actually had a teacher come in and draw a diagram, stephanie, of the classroom and where that table is supposedly located so they can try to get to her as fast as possible. >> and mariana, one of the

things that she seems to have communicated -- i know this is the definition of irregular communication, but she seems to have implied there were some other kids around her but authorities don't know whether those kids are alive? >> reporter: that's correct, ali. she seems to have implied there are some two to five children within her range she has been able to detect. we don't know if those children are alive or not. but that is what she was able to tell first responders according to local media reports. the way they detected her body is through heat sensors. they've been able to provide some water through a hose. and i did speak to a first responder this morning as i got on the scene who told me they were able to provide oxygen as well. probably similar to the oxygen tanks we just saw rolling into the scene here behind me. >> and your photographer has just pushed into that shot behind you. we're seeing the building. the rescuers have, i guess, had to stop a few times because of fear that that building might

collapse. if you felt any aftershocks since you've been covering this? >> reporter: i have not, ali. the first thing, though -- hold on. they're bringing a truck out. we're going to keep this image up for you guys. hopefully. [ speaking spanish ] we don't know what this truck is. [ speaking spanish ] i'm trying to find out what this truck is. so they're not giving out any information. i don't know what that vehicle was, ali, that they just kind of took out of here in a rush. but going back to your question about the other children, she has apparently been identified from two to three bodies inside that space where she is right

now. again, going back to that psychologist i told you i spoke with who's in the tent with some of the parents, you can imagine what that must be like for many of them. we see a crane that has been moving. this crane was brought in this morning. it is a very large crane used to move large pieces of debris. you see it moving to that area -- exactly. and remember, stephanie, we talked about earlier in your show that that area sort of behind that white tent is where they've dug a hole. now we're asking to remain silent. >> okay. so we'll -- the fists have gone up. don't worry, mariana. we'll take it from here. we'll keep our came ra on you. what has happened now is when those fists go up, it means they are listening for something. they think they might have heard something. they are trying to communicate in this case with the young girl. the fists go up to tell everybody, halt. if you're moving, stop. if you're talking, stop.

just listen. and really this is meant to keep everybody silent. it passes down the lane so the people far away from the site can be quiet. someone very close maybe even inside the building, we've seen them crawl in head first with their feet hanging out trying to listen. they've got cameras, small cameras that go in. they've got listening equipment. but they need everybody to be silent so that they can hear something more. >> and on hand are o group of heroes known as the mexican moles. they sort of began after that massive hurricane that struck mexico in 1985. a group of volunteers really that have then been trained and they now travel around the world when earthquakes and other natural disasters hit to do exactly this. climb through rubble, pull through rubble because, again, when they hear those sounds, those voices, you know, symbols there's life inside, it's unclear whether those noises are coming from above or below. so each piece of rubble that they are pulling out, it's

almost -- >> you can see there's something going on here. let's listen in to see what's going on. >> reporter: so i just tried to grab one of the people i saw running in and out of here, she was not able to give me much detail. as you can imagine, every second is of the essence here. we're seeing a lot of moouvemen here and that crane over a hole where they have identified signs of life. but again, i want to be respectful to the moment of silence they're asking for. >> sure. and we'll tell our viewers what they're seeing there. you saw a nurse going in there. you've seen other emergency workers. a few moments ago you saw oxygen tanks. i assume that means they're trying to get as much oxygen in there as possible or if they conduct a rescue, they've got oxygen. >> reporter: trying to bring in food right here. >> there's food coming in now,

mariana is telling us. she is on the scene, she can't speak loudly because a moment ago fists went up to ask everybody to halt everything they're doing so that they can listen for any activity. they are looking for a girl who's between the age of 9 and 13 whose name is frida sophia, at least that's what she's being called. that may not be her name at all. but they feel that they have identified her. she's in an air pocket below a granite table in a classroom. >> below a granite table. and remember we're 45 hours out from when this earthquake struck this area in mexico. the school was a three-story building. those three stories now completely collapsed. three slaps of concrete one on top of the other. it's not just professional rescuers who are in there. the ap reported yesterday there was a 29-year-old doctor who had volunteered who's in there and they're trying to bring oxygen and water and food to this young girl. how fatigued she must be at this point. inside the tent are psychologists speaking to the

families as they desperately pray and wish that their young children inside are safe. but they're also trying in some way to communicate with this young girl inside or maybe others if it's more than just her. because imagine how absolutely frightening, exhausting, and devastating it must be. and again, it's like a jenga puzzle in there. it is not like they're simply pulling her out of a hole. each piece of debris that's pulled out could release another piece. and remember you've got electrical wires in there. you've got water pipes. yes, e the power's out and there's no water, but it is a very, very dangerous situation. >> there are -- the hands are still up. the fists are still up. so the hope in us makes us feel that that means they're hearing something and they want everybody to be quiet so they can get as much information as they can from this poor girl who is trapped, has been trapped for more than 45 hours. and think about this. 21 children were killed, 4 adults maybe 5 adults because this morning they removed another body of a teacher.

so every parent is hoping that this might be their girl. or if this girl is ie live, might the two to five people she said are around her might also be alive. >> when you look at the crane, it speaks to what a complicated rescue this is. they have a massive crane that has the strength to pick up any concrete below them and you're not seeing the crane move much. even when you do, you haven't seen any major, any large extractions this morning. so it really speaks to just how complicated and sensitive this situation is. and ali noted it earlier, after an earthquake of 7.1, 7.2 magnitude, there could be tremors. there could be aftershocks in the days and weeks to follow. so those who are there are even prepared for that. if you're inside of this building at this point, how much risk you're taking, you know, when the earthquake struck in 1985 that was the last major quake to hit mexico. there was aftershocks and

effects that lasted long after. so they need to be cognizant of that. but right now these heroes, those who are -- i'm going to say really running on adrenaline, i don't think they're thinking about the risks to themselves or the aftershocks. again, i believe because he has the white hat on that's the foreman with both hands in the air signaling to the crowd and you can see another one down below for the crowd to be silent so they can hear the voices inside. when they hear some sort of sign of life, they're asking this girl to make more and more sounds because that's their best shot of finding her. it's not like you're going to open a door and she's on the second floor. they're trying to assess within the rubble where they do have pockets and opens and areas they've dug out, where she is. the twists and turns are difficult to figure out. think about this. this young girl maybe more have been trapped in there for 45 hours. limited oxygen, without food or water. >> and the anxiety and the fear

of knowing they maybe know you're alive and remember this is not as rudimentary as it looks. they've got cameras and listening equipment. but they've got to get it to the right place. like you said, even though they know where she is generally speaking because they know where the classroom she is and they know where in the classroom she is, you can't just go in and get her. even if you get as close to the table as you can, you have to make sure you don't collapse the table on her or anyone around her. this is harrowing. it is stressful for everybody involved. and there are parents standing by nearby. there are -- we are -- this is regular people. this is construction workers. these are emergency workers. and the fists have just gone down. mariana, i can't imagine you know anything that we don't know because you've had to keep silent the whole time, but what's happening now? >> reporter: so ali, it seems like the moment of silence has

passed. again, you see more doctors going into the scene here. [ speaking spanish ] they are just confirming to me now the moment of silence is passed. we're seeing more equipment being brought in here. and again, you heard from that first responder before they're asking people to bring goggles, iv fluids, tools to cut through concrete. so 40-something hours in, some of the most basic things are still needed for these rescues to be successful. and as you guys said, that crane was brought up here this morning, but it has not moved because they need to make sure that when it does move, that they do everything so carefully to pull this little girl, other children out of there. and as we were discussing before, overnight they had to stop the rescue mission because it rained here overnight and there were some structures that did move. and so also the panorama when these structures move can change from one minute to the next. there also is a fear of

mudslides here. the soil is still wet from the rain overnight. so any one of those factors could alter the rescue mission that is happening on the ground here. i'm going to see if i can talk to some of these folks here -- >> you do what you have to do. >> you know, think about what a challenge this is, ali. they're also really trying to keep frida calm and awake. >> yeah. that's my biggest fear. she's somebody's daughter. >> but they need to hear her. that teacher has drawn a map of what the room looks like and the table's like. but given how hard it is to find anything, this young girl obviously in some state of shock but without nourishment. they do not want her to fall asleep because they want her to make as much noise as possible so they can get to her. >> natalie has just joined us. we're staying on this with mariana. natalie, what do you have to think about when you've got a girl who is a 9 to 13-year-old. she habsn't had water in 45 hours, hasn't had food.

she's got to be anxious and nervous and there's the shock. >> the good news is the food issue is probably not relevant in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy like this. it's the water. you know, and the more they are capable of getting enough oxygen and water to her, the greater the likelihood is that she will survive. the thing is if she could communicate in any way, shape, or form what kind of injuries she might have had, we don't know. could she have broken a bone? could there be some internal bleeding, you know, that would cause her to become more weak, for example, and not be more responsive? that's kind of a scary thing to not know. but in terms of fluid and dehydration, a couple of days in the best circumstance. >> mariana, you just let us know, just talk when you have information because we're going to look at these pictures with you. on the right you've got mariana's camera. and she's talking to people to try to get more information on the left.

you've got a high shot of the scene. somebody's being escorted out there. looks like a worker who may have been injured. he had a hard hat on and he's being helped out by his fellow workers. >> this is stunning, ali. you've got doctors -- >> reporter: ali, i'm talking to some of the engineers on the ground here. yes, i'm talking to some of the engineers on the ground here. what they're telling me is that these are just incredibly heavy pieces of debris and rubble that they're trying to lift at this point. this man here also telling me that the people with the hats that are yellow and orange, those are the people that have been trained to go inside to try and communicate with this girl and possibly pull her out. [ speaking spanish ] spf can you tell us what else is happening? [ speaking spanish ] they're trying to move large pieces of debris still?

as you can see, they're still trying to move those large pieces of debris. this engineer on the ground is telling me. we've seen carts come in and out filled with debris, guys. that may indicate that they're still some time away from this rescue happening. and there was a worker escorted out as ali mentioned. >> was that -- how much of that did you see? the worker who was escorted out, it seemed as though he was being carried out. do you know if he was someone who had been inside the debris? >> reporter: they're telling me on the ground here that he was a worker who was injured, stephanie, and had to be carried out. they're now apparently clearing the way here for one of the balan ambulances to move, i believe. but i don't know if you can also make out some of the doctors on the scene here, they're pediatricians, they're doctors wearing scrubs that are meant to

be worn around little children. those are kind of the new faces on the ground we've been seeing here in the past hour. because -- let me see if i can grab one of these folks. [ speaking spanish ] the first responder we spoke to before, she's just coming out now. they're bringing in more supplies, what looks like water. let's see if we can grab her once again. what's happening inside? they had had to carry out an injured worker? [ speaking spanish ] she doesn't want to give us erroneous information. you have been able to cross this barricade over there. what is the scene like? what is the mood like over there? [ speaking spanish ] it's a very delicate moment. everybody has to remain very quiet inside. [ speaking spanish ]

they're starting to move the crane so it is an incredibly delicate moment. what else is needed in terms of supplies? we've seen people rushing in with water, oxygen tanks. [ speaking spanish ] she's also telling us there are so many first responders in there that have been working there for days and they have at this point obviously nothing to eat, nothing to drink. they can't go out and search for the supplies because they need to be focused on the rescue efforts. some of the supplies we're seeing is also to keep them fed and energized. have you sensed the mood change here just in the past hour? [ speaking spanish ] the said this is a crucial

moment down here right now. thank you, i know you have to go. thank you so much. >> i mean, it is some sign of hope. -- >> just waiting for that crane to move. >> that in the last hour some of the new faces on the scene are pediatricians. dr. natalie, the fact we're now seeing doctors come in, more doctors, we should probably take that as a sign of hope? >> i would think so. you know, any time you have a situation like this and you have more first responders there, it gives you that encouragement that there's a reason to be there. that the people who are trapped would benefit from immediate assistance from a health care worker. and they would know what to do. >> i want to bring in ricardo fuentes. >> mariana? >> reporter: go ahead. i just wanted to clarify about the girl we believe that has been found. she has been able to receive

some water through a hose according to local media reports. i also spoke to a first responder today who told me they had been able to provide some oxygen for her. obviously food is not something we've heard of right now, but she has been able to get some water taken to her through a hose under that granite table where she is now in the english language classroom. back to you guys. >> and you see your camera has a worker carrying an oxygen tank and one of those bags you see in airplanes. maybe that's for workers, right? >> there are workers -- the worker we read about yesterday, the doctor who had said he was army crawling his way, snaking his way into the debris, someone in that situation -- let's watch this. >> reporter: okay. so this person was carrying an oxygen tank. he was about to head out. then they rushed him back inside. that just happened a couple seconds ago. >> and the yellow hats are those of trained workers.

>> reporter: yes. correct. >> and they're walking back. >> reporter: yellow and orange, we were told, are the ones trained. >> so it is unclear now that they have stopped at the rescue vehicle, that oxygen could be for rescue workers who have been inside. remember, we are 45 hours out. so for at least the last 30 hours we know this has been a massive search and rescue mission and there are many workers who have been in there hour after hour after hour. so i'm sure much attention has to be paid to their well being and safety. but they are truly running on adrenaline right now desperately trying to save these school children. >> reporter: the man carrying the oxygen tank is coming back at this point. i'm trying to ask people what first responders are discussing.

i overheard a conversation they were talking about the precise tools they need to be able to get in there. we see these people with the oxygen tanks about to head out. let's see if we can talk to them briefly. [ speaking spanish ] it was just given? who was given the oxygen? [ speaking spanish ] they had to give the oxygen to first responders. they don't know who was administered. are you coming back, is there more oxygen needed? [ speaking spanish ] they have supplied them with enough oxygen for now. thank you for your hard work. can i talk to you quickly? [ speaking spanish ] we've been asked to remain silent for a bit. >> all right. we'll take over for you. you talk to us when you are able to do so. for those of you with military training or police training,

this is a global symbol for halt, stop what you're doing, something is happening. and what we believe is happening here is -- >> shh. >> it's not just halt, ali. it's silence. it's wherever you are, stop in your tracks and be quiet because they're hearing some voices, some sign of life inside. >> look at that. there's movement on top. >> there you go, movement on top. again, you can see the yellow hard hat. to the point mariana made a moment ago, the yellow and orange hats are the professional rescuers. when they hear any sign of life, they're trying to communicate with this young woman being called frida sophia. it's very difficult to assess whether she is above them or below them. but each piece of very, very

heavy debris that they're bringing out could probably bring them one step closer to where she is. >> to bring you up to date, frida sophia, we don't know if that's her name. that's what people are calling her. she is between 9 and 13 years old. she is believed to have gone underneath a granite table in her classroom. 21 kids we know were killed in that school, but she has been able to communicate with workers. mariana is on the ground. the fists have gone down now, so she's asking some questions. but they have made contact with her. >> they call this classroom or areas like that a triangle of life. amidst the debris, remember, this was a three-story school. the school collapsed so you now have three massive floors, three huge pieces of concrete now on top of one another. and within that rubble though it does look flattened, there is at least one area of a classroom that they call a triangle of life where this at least

potentially one young girl, maybe more, is sitting under a granite table. mariana said earlier she described it as a strong table. they brought in a teacher to this classroom. it was the english as a second language classroom and the teacher was able to draw a map to help these rescuers use. she may have gotten water in the last 24 hours as well as oxygen. we just saw a worker who'd been walking off the site with oxygen being called back. now, that oxygen could be for the workers. maybe not the young girl inside. but we have mariana back. and we are seeing sort of what appears to be a new round of volunteers. >> reporter: a new round of volunteers, new round of supplies, stephanie. looked like water and food for the people inside. again, we're going on more than 40 hours now. so first responders also need to be kept energized so they can focus and do their job.

i'm going to give you as we wait more context about this school. asimages, we know that 318 children attended this school according to local media. we know the school is 35 years old. the main structure is 35 years old. the school expanded and the newer structures which are now 14 years old, they were the ones that collapsed. ironically. the newer structures with the newer building codes, they were the ones that gave way after this magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit. we're seeing some movement from that crane. we're still not being told to be silenced, so i'm going to take advantage of this opportunity to keep giving you context on the ground. we're seeing some movement from that crane that was brought in this morning. and i believe that the spot where the crane is hovering over now, that is where they've dug a hole. we're now asked to remain quiet

one more time so they can listen in. >> unfortunately, there's an aircraft flying above, so that's not going to help the attempt to remain silent. but the fists are back up again asking everyone to stop what they're doing entirely, stop making any noise, stop talking which is why mariana has gone silent. this -- i have to say, stephanie, it feels hopeful to me the fists are going up every few minutes and they're asking everybody to be quiet. i think it's worth saying there are a lot of volunteers. ordinary mexicans who do not do this as a profession are out there helping. not just at this site but all over. they're going out there it's like what we saw in harvey with just people helping out their neighbors trying to overcome this tragedy. mexico is not a stranger to earthquakes or this kind of tragedy. a lot of people have learned from 1985 a lot of new structures have been built to a better code. but as mariana pointed out, the part of this thing that came down was the part that was built

to code. earthquakes are just devastated. and in all of this destruction, the idea that this little girl we are calling frida sophia, we don't know her real name. this girl between 9 to 13 years old, we believe, is alive and could be rescued is something at this point that has become symbolic to the nature. >> i mentioned the mexican moles. "the new york times" did a piece on it yesterday. a group of mexicans that sort of came about after the last major earthquake to hit the region in 1985. this group has now followed natural disasters across the world to try to help people out of the rubble. just yesterday they spoke to a 70-year-old man who said he had the energy to continue this fight. and clearly the rescuers do as well. >> we will keep an eye on this. we need to go to the president for a moment. if there are any developments, we'll break out of the president to cover it. but we're staying on top with mariana. the president of the united states meeting now with shinzo abe, the president of japan. >> responded firmly and in a very good way. and because of this, i also

believe we have very close coordination between korea and the united states. and because of this i am very satisfied. mr. president and the u.n. general assembly, i believe you made a strong speech. i believe the strength of your speech will also help to change north korea. thank you very much. >> well, thank you very much. and i'm have been happy that you used the word deplorable. i was very interested in that way. i didn't tell them -- i promise i did not tell them to use that word. that's been a very lucky word for me and many millions of people. so because of the fact that our trade deal is so bad for the united states and so good for south korea, said we'll focus on the military but actually we're

going to try and straighten out the trade deal and make it far for everybody. but our real focus will be on the military and the relationship with south korea which is excellent. which is really excellent. so we're going to start that process right now. thank you very much. thank you. >> i said that was president abe of japan. that was obviously president moon, the new president of south korea. i understood they were meeting together and at the same time. i didn't see president abe in there. >> and earlier today, the president met with the president of afghanistan. but in that room, it was -- you saw it -- sitting to the right of the president you saw secretary of state rex tillerson and a number of other senior advisers to the president.

given how important this u.n. general assembly is, all eyes on north korea and really cooperation from places like china and south korea. for south koreans, this could not be more imminent. >> you just heard president trump say, you know, people keep telling me how good the trade deal is for south korea and how bad it is for the united states. president trump has been tweeting about this for months about how he's going to end our trade agreement with south korea in the midst of all this tension with north korea which is lot of experts say is an ill-advised way of doing things. he said right now we're going to concentrate on the military. but even then he talked about the thaad missiles earlier. the relationship with this new president of south korea who's only been on the job since may is fraught. he believes in dialogue with north korea. he's finding that the ever-shifting u.s. position on this is a little tough. >> i don't mean to normalize the president's, you know, frenzied approach to all of this, but it seems time and again whether it's negotiating or diplomacy,

those who are near the president have put that out there whether it's rex tillerson or mattis or h.r. mcmaster. so it seems we're in this listen to what we do, not what we say because the president's message has been out. >> as we're looking at this up close, there's no prime minister of japan. it is the president of south korea with president trump. all right. let us go back to the situation that is developing in mexico city. the search for the young girl frida sophia. i should say, they have found her. they know where she is. they are attempting to rescue her now. and to keep her alive, keep her awake, conscious, dehydrating going into shock. mariana has mentioned that there are local news reports they've been able to get water to her. >> and possibly some oxygen. >> which would be the most important two things at this point, right? >> absolutely.

>> this young girl between the ages of 9 and 13, there are some reports she might not be alone. there may be some other children in there with her. it's unclear. she is the only person we've heard repeatedly is in there and communicating and when we see the arms up from the rescue workers which we don't see right now, that's when they hear her voice, hear sounds from inside. as we heard from one of the doctor rescuers yesterday, it's unclear whether she's below or above where they are. but given how complicated it is, how massive these slabs of concrete, every move is incredibly sensitive because she's hiding under a granite table. so right now she's in what they call a triangle of life. but one wrong move on one of these slabs of concrete is they can land on that table. >> and they don't have full information about what's around her. there's added hope here, right? that's what some of these parents are there for. they think are there other people around her? did anybody else get under that

table who might be unconscious but might be alive? they don't know that information so they've got to be so careful and so cautious about how to get this young girl but all hope is placed in this. you continue to see workers going in. >> it gives you hope when you see them running. we saw some walking off the scene who had oxygen tanks and then turned around and ran back in. it's not just braalance ambulan or rescue workers, there are psychologists there. we're 45 hours out from the quake. think about the parents and the siblings of these young children and the young children who are inside and how scared they must be. >> i think mariana is talking to some people. whenever you've got anything, you let us know. let's bring in ricardo fuentes. he's not in this location. tell us what you're seeing.

>> well, what we're seeing is there's still a lot of work that needs to be done in mexico city and in the surrounding states that were also massively affected by the earthquake. what we've seen in -- in mexico city. probably rightly so because of the size of the population. we know that more than 40 buildings collapsed in mexico city and there were many people under the rubble. but right now, a lot of the attention needs to be focused on what happened. this is where the epicenter of the earthquake occurred. many of the communities are marginalized, vulnerable, poor communities and we don't have enough information. sent two teams to gather information and see what's needed, what kind of response is needed. we are also worried that as time

goes by and as we learn that the safety of the buildings across the area that was affected by the earthquake -- >> ricardo, we have to interrupt you for a moment. our reportier on the scene has more information. mariana? >> reporter: guys, so these two people just came out of the scene here. i want to get a sense from them of what's happening in there. [ speaking spanish ] you're needing tools. you're needing to get tools to break through the concrete at this point. is that correct? [ speaking spanish ] there are some beams that have been tough to get through. they have to get more tools to

be able to do that. what kind of a mood are we seeing over here beyond the barricade? is there hope? anxiety? [ speaking spanish ] it's a calm environment in there because they have to be calm because they need to save these people's lives. [ speaking spanish ] so there are children inside that are alive? you have been able to attest to that? okay. so we're getting confirmation according to them that these are first responders on the scene that there are signs of life inside and the children you said are exchanging cell phone numbers? [ speaking spanish ] they were able to give a cell

phone to one of the girls and she's with other two kids. and they're trying to coordinate calling them in order to rescue them. they're underneath the granite table we've been talking about. that has been protecting them a lot. so we're talking about several kids here. three kids. [ speaking spanish ] they don't know anything about her specifically but they know three other children have been communicating with first responders. one of them with a cell phone that was able to be handed to them. do we know what state the children are? [ speaking spanish ] they're trying to send some iv to the children. would they know what to do with

an iv? [ speaking spanish ] 7 years old, 5, 9. that's what you think. so what is needed now in order -- established communication with them. how long before they can actually be pulled out? [ speaking spanish ] he's saying that right now the kids have thchbs that were handed to them but because they're children, they don't know how to activate the gps on the phones to pinpoint the location. [ speaking spanish ] the important thing right now is they've been able to hand these cell phones to these children and they've been able to establish some sort of communication with them. [ speaking spanish ]

they've been able to -- they're trying to hand these children candy, especially chocolate, to keep them energized. how have they been able to hand the candy to the children? is there sort of an opening? how big is the opening? [ speaking spanish ] like hose this size like little caves they say. i know there are psychologists on the scene, paramedics on the scene as well. do we know about any more children besides these three? [ speaking spanish ]

>> reporter: let me ask you about freida sophia. the whole world is focused on her. [ speaking spanish ] they don't know if it's real or not. that's what the conversations are like inside. they know there are three children, but they don't know if freida sophia or if that's her real name is among these children. and i believe -- some more paramedics are going inside. i know you guys have to go get the tools. they're mainly going to go get drilling tools to break through the concrete. thank you for this interview. we appreciate it. so that's the situation on the

ground. i've not been able to confirm any of the information with people at the scene. >> that is unbelievable. this is unbelievable what you heard from them. that there are three children alive. they've got phones. they're communicating with them. they can't get them to activate the gps. but i'll tell you this. that's devastatingly sad, but the idea they know there are three children alive and they know geographically where they are, they're going to get them. >> but ages 5, 7, and 9. they're getting water and ivs into them. what would the -- i have a 4 and 8 and 11-year-old. they wouldn't -- how on earth will these children -- what are they going to do with that? >> my reaction to that was a bit of disbelief. perhaps they do this in, you know, rescue situations like this, but i couldn't imagine that they want children to put the ivs in themselves.

the risk of infection alone, i don't see how they would be able to do that, i have to be quite honest. maybe that perhaps is unsubstantiated. i don't know. >> for a moment if they're able to get them whatever would have been in the iv, can they consume that? >> what they're giving in the iv is sugar water or saline. so they can just give them water to do that. if they don't want them to be too what we call dilute so they want to give them things with salt also. >> maybe they can only get it through that small hose in a tube. >> that's probably -- >> maybe it's they have the bag and a tube. and the tube they can put through the hole and the kids can drink it. >> i hope that's what it is. >> you're the m.d. at the table now. that's exactly what they're doing. >> we thought earlier -- freida sophia is the name given to the girl by the media. we don't know her name. we didn't make it up. that's what they're referring to

her at. we heard 11 to 13. then we heard 9 to 13. then these rescuers said there might be kids there live as yurng as 5. that's devastating to those of us with kids to think that. on the other hand, these kids are much more resilient than we think. >> that's when superpowers kick in. >> if the youngest is 5, the older the child gets, the more like an adult the body will behave, right? so we don't want a 2-year-old in there. but i would also think at this point just remaining as

it's not easy to act with gps on a cell phone. last week when i couldn't get a satellite signal in st. john, it was the one thing we were able to use. if they were able to implement that -- there we go. >> you see that flash in the middle of your screen. they are trying to cut through. my guess would be that's rebar because that would be why you're seeing that flame and that reaction. all of this is very positive. there is active work being done with hundreds of rescuers going for these kids, and i don't know if they care whether it's one kid or three kids or ten kids, they're doing the same work. they're going in there to save them. >> i think we hear mariana again. mariana? >> i think she might be -- >> reporter: i'm trying to talk to a person who was possibly going to try and get us closer to the scene here. i'm just arranging that in spani spanish, i apologize. i'm trying to get us the best

visuals as this dramatic rescue is underway. >> even in the last 20 minutes, the scene is far more active than it was even a few minutes ago. we've seen new rescuers come in, we've seen supplies, water, oxygen. and again, those resources might be for the rescue workers, not the victims inside, because you've got rescue workers who have been on the scene for upwards of 30 hours. this devastating earthquake, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, hit north of 45 hours ago. the biggest earthquake mexico has seen since 1985. we're now seeing a rescue worker run out. he has a white hat on. remember the professional rescuers have the yellow hats and the orange hats. >> mariana, you don't have to respond to this but i want to you hear it. we have some information about the spanish word swero, which is interpreted as an iv, to stephanie's point, i think you

might be right about this, natalie, someone is telling us that's the equivalent of pedialyte. >> that would make a lot more sense. they want these kids not to get just plain water but elect electrolytes and things like that. >> it's a concept but they might not be putting an injection in themselves. they may be getting it in the same way they're getting the water. >> this is a positive sign. this is the first time in the last hour we're seeing active drilling like that. early in the hour, you could see people on top. you saw the crane moving but you didn't see any debris being lifted. right now seeing that diamond-edged drill, this is the first we've seen them actually trying to break through. >> look at that. you have what appears to be a search dog there and a handler, so there is -- >> back here on the ground -- i'm back here. you're seeing some of these rescue dogs and also some of the

items on that list that spifirs responders are calling for. they also need fluids for the animals at this point. you can and after 40 hours these animals are pretty exhausted. here's the updated list of what they need. this is dated 10:30 local time which is 11:30 eastern time. these are just some of the new items that we're seeing there. i see you added some tubes to be able to intubate people, is that correct? >> that's correct. >> these are things you don't have and that are needed for the people that are going to be pulled out, correct? [ speaking spanish ] >> she doesn't know exactly who they'll be used for, but this is the list inside they're being told they need, and this is why she keeps coming to us because it is the media that can really sort of show this information for people to come and bring these supplies. they're asking for ice, they're asking for goggles, they're asking for tubes to intubate

people, still asking for iv fluids -- i know you have to go. i'm so sorry. also, guys, i want to point to the fact that they're still trying to break through concrete here, and some of the new faces we're seeing over here to my right, they're just regular people that just showed up here with their own tools. i want to see if we can talk to some of them. these two guys here, they just showed up a couple minutes ago. they brought their own tools. you guys, are you professionals, or did you just show up here because you wanted to help? >> no, we are just volunteering here. we got here at 9:00 a.m. and we are waiting to enter. >> reporter: what are you hoping to do with these tools? what are you told is needed inside? [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: they're asking us to move, they're asking us to

move. >> something is happening here. >> what are they bringing in, mariana? >> reporter: they are just asking us to make way and clear the space. i am with you guys here even if you can't see me. i'm with you guys. they're asking for space. space is what they're asking for. >> it suddenly got very urgent as they're pushing everybody out of the way. the last time they needed this much space is for that truck they took out. >> in the last hour this has become a far more active and urgent scene. not just the dogs, we're talking about all the equipment making its way in and out. earlier in the hour we saw the rescue workers at several points raising their hands, two hands in a symbol, asking for complete silence. everyone in the area to stop as they were hearing at least one, but possibly two and three of those young children inside. to bring you up to speed, those three children that have been reported are inside, at least

one under a concrete table. the local media are calling her freda sophia. we don't know if that's her real name. she's somewhere between 9 and 13 years old. the rescuers have been able to communicate with them, passed through a small hole a cell phone where they're speaking to them. the children cannot figure out how to activate the gps to pinpoint their location. that's understandable. it's reported these kids are 5, 7 and 9 years old. i don't believe they brought any food in, but they have been able to bring in iv fluids similar to a pedialyte. this deadly earthquake was now 45 hours ago. >> andrea mitchell is with us now. under normal circumstances she would be starting her show at the moment, but andrea, i'll hand it over to you. sdplz thank y >> thank you so much. a dramatic moment, we hope a lifesaving moment in mexico