Mexico quake death toll climbs to 360

The death toll from a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck close to Mexico’s capital earlier this month has climbed to 360, officials said on Saturday.

The head of the national civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puente, said 219 people were killed in densely populated Mexico City, which suffered the highest number of fatalities.

The epicentre of the September 19 quake was on the border between the central states of Morelos and Puebla, where 74 and 45 people were killed, respectively.

The remainder of the fatal victims were in the State of Mexico (15), Guerrero (6) and Oaxaca (1). Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said 25 people were still hospitalised, four of them in serious condition, and two of the dead had yet to be identified.

While 38 buildings collapsed in different parts of Mexico City, dozens more were near collapse and awaiting demolition. Structural experts have inspected 357,000 homes so far, to determine whether they can be repaired, he said.

The quake struck just 12 days after another major quake hit south Mexico, leveling homes in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, and leaving 98 people dead.

Some 400 towns, including the capital, have declared state of emergencies, said Puente.

Earlier this week, President Enrique Pena Nieto estimated the recovery efforts will cost more than US$2 billion (FJ$4.1bn).