Mexico quake toll rises to 90
The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Mexico on Thursday night has risen to at least 90 after emergency services in the southern state of Oaxaca said late on Saturday there had been 71 confirmed fatalities in the state alone.
"It's 71 (dead). Just for Oaxaca," said Jesus Gonzalez, a spokesman for the state civil protection authority.
At least 15 people died in the neighboring state of Chiapas, according to local authorities, while another four deaths have also been confirmed in the state of Tabasco to the north, reported Reuters.
The 8.1 magnitude quake that struck off the coast of Chiapas on Thursday was stronger than a devastating 1985 temblor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands.
Relief efforts in the south continued through Saturday, with many of the people worst affected still wary of returning indoors to weakened buildings, fearing they could be brought down by ongoing aftershocks.
People in Juchitan queued up for food at a shop window as families carried flowers and wreaths, and eventually coffins.
Ignacio Chavez said his son died in the quake.
"He didn't have time to get out and the building completely collapsed," Chavez told AFP.
"It was a very old building, over 200 years old, and unfortunately out of the seven people who were inside only four were able to be rescued. The other three died."
In Juchitan, emergency teams with search dogs found the body of a policeman under the rubble of city hall.
The epicenter of Thursday's quake was in the Pacific Ocean, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the town of Tonala in Chiapas.
Comments