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Article snippet: The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Mexico on Tuesday jumped to 216, government officials said Wednesday, as searchers worked desperately to find survivors in the ruins of collapsed structures. The new death toll was announced by Luis Felipe Puente, the country’s civil protection coordinator. He said that more than half the dead were found in Mexico City and nearby Morelos State. The Tuesday afternoon quake toppled dozens of buildings and led to the deaths of 21 children in a school that collapsed in Mexico City. The devastating temblor sent people fleeing into the streets and came just two weeks after another earthquake centered off Mexico’s southern coast rattled the capital. Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, said in a statement Tuesday night that emergency workers were being sent to affected areas so that “throughout the night we can continue aiding the population and eventually find people beneath the rubble.” “The priority at this moment is to keep rescuing people who are still trapped and to give medical attention to the injured people,” he said. The earthquake happened on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake that killed as many as 10,000 people and flattened 400 buildings in Mexico City. That quake led to a tougher new construction code in the capital. In addition to the widespread destruction from Tuesday’s quake, the country was also grappling with power failures affecting millions of people. Mr. Peña Nieto said the ... Link to the full article to read more