Investigative police officers inspect a part of the Enrique Rebsamen school that collapsed during last week's 7.1 magnitude quake in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Borough president Claudia Sheinbaum says inspectors warned the borough’s judicial director in November 2013 that work on the third floor of the school and an illegally added fourth floor were “damaging structural elements that affect the stability of the building.” (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Investigative police officers inspect a part of the Enrique Rebsamen school that collapsed during last week's 7.1 magnitude quake in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Borough president Claudia Sheinbaum says inspectors warned the borough’s judicial director in November 2013 that work on the third floor of the school and an illegally added fourth floor were “damaging structural elements that affect the stability of the building.” (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexico City borough president said officials from a previous administration ignored warnings that unauthorized construction work had damaged the structural integrity of a school that collapsed during a powerful earthquake.

The death toll from the magnitude 7.1 quake which hit Sept. 19 reached 358 on Friday, as the search continued for bodies in the debris of some downed buildings.

The school became a symbol of the tragedy when a three-story wing of the building pancaked, killing 26 people including 19 children. Photos over the years suggested an increasingly heavy fourth story had been gradually added to the wing.

Borough president Claudia Sheinbaum said late Thursday that inspectors issued a report in November 2013 and warned the borough’s judicial director at the time that work on the third floor and illegally added fourth floor were “damaging structural elements that affect the stability of the building.”

The privately operated elementary and middle school was apparently allowed to complete the work by paying a fine equivalent to about $1,600 at the time.

“The file was closed, with a fine of 21,000 pesos. Outrageous,” Sheinbaum said. She added that she has filed a criminal complaint against the former judicial director, a person who held the same post later and “whoever else may be responsible.”

Sheinbaum, who took office in 2015, had said earlier there was unauthorized expansion work at the school since around 2010.

Another borough closer to the city center also filed criminal complaints against two developers for two buildings that partially or completely collapsed, killing at least three people. The borough of Benito Juarez accused the two firms of having “used low-quality materials, lying and evading the law.”

One of the buildings was only about a year old and advertised its apartments as being structurally sound and quake-resistant. The other, a six story rental apartment building, was apparently built in the last year atop the unreinforced structure of a decades-old four-story building.

The vast majority of the collapses and deaths occurred in buildings constructed under looser regulations prior to a 1985 quake that killed thousands in Mexico City.

However the three buildings cited in the criminal complaints involved more recent construction. The school was started in 1983 but then expanded in the last decade.

Most of the rubble has been cleared away from the 38 sites where buildings collapsed in the capital, leaving only a few active recovery efforts.

National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente reported Friday on Twitter that the quake’s toll had risen to 358, including 217 dead in Mexico City.

There were also fatalities in the states of Morelos, Mexico State, Guerrero and Oaxaca, as well as Puebla state, where the epicenter was located.</s>MEXICO CITY — The Latest on the deadly Sept. 19 earthquake in central Mexico (all times local):

A Mexico City borough president says officials from a previous administration ignored warnings that unauthorized construction work on a school that collapsed during the Sept. 19 earthquake was damaging the building structurally.

The school became a symbol of the tragedy when a three-story wing of the building pancaked, killing 26 people including 19 children.

Borough president Claudia Sheinbaum says inspectors warned the borough’s judicial director in November 2013 that work on the third floor and an illegally added fourth floor were “damaging structural elements that affect the stability of the building.”

The school was apparently allowed to complete the work by paying a fine equivalent to about $1,600 at the time.

Sheinbaum calls that “outrageous” and says she has filed a criminal complaint against the judicial director, a person who held the same post later and “whoever else may be responsible.”

The death toll from the Sept. 19 earthquake in central Mexico has continued to inch upward more than a week later and now stands at 345.

National Civil Defence chief Luis Felipe Puente reports that another death has been confirmed in the capital. He said late Thursday on Twitter that the toll in Mexico City has reached 206.

Most of the rubble has been cleared away from the 38 sites where buildings collapsed in the capital due to the magnitude 7.1 quake.

There were also fatalities in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico State, Guerrero and Oaxaca.</s>Mexico City — A Mexico City borough president said officials from a previous administration ignored warnings that unauthorized construction work on a school that collapsed during a powerful earthquake had hurt the building’s structural integrity.

Meanwhile the death toll from the magnitude 7.1 quake which hit Sept. 19 jumped by 10 to 355 on Friday, as the search continued for bodies in the debris of some downed buildings.

The school became a symbol of the tragedy when a three-story wing of the building pancaked, killing 26 people including 19 children. Photos over the years suggested an increasingly heavy fourth story had been gradually added to the wing.

Borough president Claudia Sheinbaum said late Thursday that inspectors issued a report in November 2013 and warned the borough’s judicial director at the time that work on the third floor and illegally added fourth floor were “damaging structural elements that affect the stability of the building.”

The privately operated elementary and middle school was apparently allowed to complete the work by paying a fine equivalent to about $1,600 at the time.

“The file was closed, with a fine of 21,000 pesos. Outrageous,” Sheinbaum said. She added that she has filed a criminal complaint against the former judicial director, a person who held the same post later and “whoever else may be responsible.”

Sheinbaum, who took office in 2015, had said earlier there was unauthorized expansion work at the school since around 2010.

Another borough closer to the city center also filed criminal complaints against two developers for two buildings that partially or completely collapsed, killing at least three people. The borough of Benito Juarez accused the two firms of having “used low-quality materials, lying and evading the law.”

One of the buildings was only about a year old and advertised its apartments as being structurally sound and quake-resistant. The other, a six story rental apartment building, was apparently built in the last year atop the unreinforced structure of a decades-old four-story building.

The vast majority of the collapses and deaths occurred in buildings constructed under looser regulations prior to a 1985 quake that killed thousands in Mexico City.

However the three buildings cited in the criminal complaints involved more recent construction. The school was started in 1983 but then expanded in the last decade.

Most of the rubble has been cleared away from the 38 sites where buildings collapsed in the capital, leaving only a few active recovery efforts.

National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente reported Friday on Twitter that the quake’s toll had risen to 355, including 214 dead in Mexico City.

There were also fatalities in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico State, Guerrero and Oaxaca.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>MEXICO CITY — A Mexico City borough president said late Thursday that officials from a previous administration ignored warnings that unauthorized construction work on a school that collapsed during the Sept. 19 earthquake had damaged the building structurally.

The school became a symbol of the tragedy when a three-story wing of the building pancaked, killing 26 people including 19 children. Photos over the years suggested an increasingly heavy fourth story had been gradually added to the wing.

Borough president Claudia Sheinbaum said inspectors issued a report in November 2013 and warned the borough’s judicial director at the time that work on the third floor and illegally added fourth floor were “damaging structural elements that affect the stability of the building.”

The privately operated elementary and middle school was apparently allowed to complete the work by paying a fine equivalent to about $1,600 at the time.

Sheinbaum called that “outrageous” and said she has filed a criminal complaint against the former judicial director, a person who held the same post later and “whoever else may be responsible.”

Sheinbaum, who took office in 2015, has said there was unauthorized expansion work at the school since around 2010.

The death toll in the magnitude 7.1 quake has continued to inch upward as the last bodies are pulled from the rubble and now stands at 345.

National Civil Defence chief Luis Felipe Puente said late Thursday on Twitter that most of the casualties 206, were in Mexico City.

Most of the debris has been cleared away from the 38 sites where buildings collapsed in the capital, leaving only a few active recovery efforts.

There were also fatalities in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico State, Guerrero and Oaxaca.</s>MEXICO CITY (AP) – The death toll from the Sept. 19 earthquake in central Mexico has continued to inch upward more than a week later and now stands at 345.

National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente reports that another death has been confirmed in the capital.

He said late Thursday on Twitter that the toll in Mexico City has reached 206. Most of the rubble has been cleared away from the 38 sites where buildings collapsed in the capital due to the magnitude 7.1 quake. There were also fatalities in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico State, Guerrero and Oaxaca.</s>MEXICO CITY (AP) - The death toll from the Sept. 19 earthquake in central Mexico has continued to inch upward more than a week later and now stands at 345.

National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente reports that another death has been confirmed in the capital. He said late Thursday on Twitter that the toll in Mexico City has reached 206.

Most of the rubble has been cleared away from the 38 sites where buildings collapsed in the capital due to the magnitude 7.1 quake.

This photo combination shows a building that collapsed in last week's 7.1 magnitude earthquake during rescue operations on Sept. 20, 2017, left, and after the site was cleared on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in the Narvarte neighborhood of Mexico City. Search teams were still digging through dangerous piles of rubble Monday, hoping against the odds to find survivors after the Sept. 19 quake. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

There were also fatalities in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico State, Guerrero and Oaxaca.

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, architect Victor Marquez checks a cracked wall that was not caused by the recent earthquake during his survey of a seven-floor apartment building, in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood. It is up to experts like architect Víctor Marquez, who thinks of himself as a building doctor, to bring peace of mind, or recommend aggressive treatment, to fearful apartment dwellers in the aftermath of Mexico's 7.1 magnitude quake that struck on Sept. 19. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

In this Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 photo, workers shovel papers and debris off the top of the rubble of a building that collapsed in last week's 7.1 magnitude earthquake, at the corner of Gabriel Mancera and Escocia streets in the Del Valle neighborhood of Mexico City. Search teams were still digging through dangerous piles of rubble Monday, hoping against the odds to find survivors after the Sept. 19 quake.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In this Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 photo, a condemned building stands after last week's 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Lazaro Cardenas street in the Narvarte neighborhood of Mexico City. Search teams were still digging through dangerous piles of rubble Monday, hoping against the odds to find survivors after the Sept. 19 quake. in Mexico City, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)</s>Mexico City, Sep 29 (EFE).- The death toll from Mexico’s Sept. 19 earthquake has climbed to 358 following the discovery of several bodies amid the rubble of a collapsed building in this capital, authorities said Friday.

In updating the preliminary death toll from the magnitude-7.1 temblor, national Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said most of the fatalities – 217 – had occurred in Mexico City.

Rescue teams, including Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit, are still working in the wreckage of the building located at 286 Alvaro Obregon Ave., in the capital’s Roma neighborhood, in a search for bodies.

Several corpses have been located under the rubble in recent hours, including the body of Spaniard Jorge Gomez Varo, who was on the second floor of that six-story building when it was toppled by the quake.

The earthquake, which struck on the 32nd anniversary of the devastating 1985 temblor that killed thousands in Mexico City, also left 141 people dead in nearby states: 74 in Morelos, 45 in Puebla, 15 in Mexico, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

Mexico also was hit by a magnitude-8.2 earthquake on Sept. 7 that left 98 dead in southern Mexico and a magnitude-6.1 temblor on Sept. 23 (considered an aftershock of the Sept. 7 quake) that is blamed for four deaths – two in Mexico City and two in the southern town of Asuncion Ixtaltepec.

Preliminary government estimates indicate the cost of rebuilding homes, schools and historic buildings damaged by the earthquakes will exceed 38 billion pesos (some $2.1 billion).</s>MEXICO CITY (AP) - The death toll from Mexico's Sept. 19 earthquake has risen to 343, with 204 of the deaths coming in the nation's capital.

National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente announced the new toll Thursday, as recovery teams pulled some of the few remaining bodies out of collapsed buildings in Mexico City.

Most of the capital's collapse sites have already been cleared of rubble.

The crushed vehicle belonging to U.S photojournalist Wesley Boxce stands near his home building that collapsed in the last week 7.1 earthquake at the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Across Mexico City, some 40 buildings collapsed in the earthquake and hundreds of others were so severely damaged they will either have to be demolished or receive major structural reinforcement, according to Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday that preliminary accounting suggests damage from the magnitude 7.1 quake and an even more powerful one earlier in the month could cost upward of $2 billion (38.1 billion pesos).

Flowers ara placed next to the garage, the only structure that remains of a building collapsed in last week's 7.1 earthquake at the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Across Mexico City, some 40 buildings collapsed in the earthquake and hundreds of others were so severely damaged they will either have to be demolished or receive major structural reinforcement, according to Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A member of a City youth organization cleans in front of a building that collapsed in the last week's 7.1 earthquake on Amsterdam and Laredo streets, at the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Across Mexico City, some 40 buildings collapsed in the earthquake and hundreds of others were so severely damaged they will either have to be demolished or receive major structural reinforcement, according to Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A volunteer is reflected on a puddle near a building damaged by the last week's 7.1 earthquake in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Search teams are still digging through dangerous piles of rubble at sites around the city, hoping against the odds to find survivors after the Sept. 19 quake. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A members of a City youth organization sweeps the front area of a building that collapsed in the last week 7.1 earthquake at the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Search teams are still digging through dangerous piles of rubble at sites around the city, hoping against the odds to find survivors after the Sept. 19 quake. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A volunteer caries wood pieces to strengthen a damaged building by the last week's 7.1 earthquake, in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Search teams are still digging through dangerous piles of rubble at sites around the city, hoping against the odds to find survivors after the Sept. 19 quake. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Florencia Cortes, 37, right, sleeps next to her son Jonatan at the Francisco Kino school, which was turned into a temporary shelter for residents evacuated from the large apartment complex in the Tlalpan neighborhood of Mexico City, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Cortes was pulled from the rubble of her apartment building along with her 1-year, 8 months-old son, Jonatan. In order to get her son out, she had to swing him toward the building's plumber, who happened to be outside. He caught ahold of the boy by his foot. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)</s>MEXICO CITY — The death toll from last week’s big earthquake in central Mexico is now 333.

National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente said via Twitter on Tuesday that 194 of the dead are in Mexico City.

The Sept. 19 quake also killed 74 in Morelos state and 45 in Puebla state, where it was centered. Thirteen died in the State of Mexico, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

An even stronger earthquake less than two weeks before has caused nearly 100 deaths.

That magnitude 8.1 quake was centered off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.</s>People wait outside their homes after an earthquake struck, in Mexico City June 16, 2013. REUTERS/Henry Romero

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Power outages hit the Mexican capital of Mexico City on Sunday after an earthquake struck the center of the country, and officials said there was no other damage reported.

Some restaurants and residential buildings in the capital were evacuated as a precautionary measure, they said.

Buildings shuddered in the city, a Reuters witness said.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) downgraded its initial measurement of the quake to magnitude 5.8 from 6.0.

No one at state oil company Pemex was immediately available to comment but the group has no major installations near the epicenter of the quake, 14 miles west of Jolalpan in southwest Mexico, 76 miles south of Mexico City.
A Mexico City borough president says previous officials ignored warnings that unauthorized construction work had damaged the structural integrity of several buildings in the city. The overall death toll from the magnitude 7.1 quake which hit Sept. 19 now stands at at least 358 people.