The Latest: Mexico parties offer funds for quake relief

MEXICO CITY – The Latest on Mexico’s major earthquake (all times local):

12:25 p.m.

Mexican political parties say they want to give up some of their government funding for a year to help recovery from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit on Sept. 19, killing at least 333 people.

But each party has a slightly different proposal.

The leftist Morena party suggests the money should go to a trust fund, rather than giving the money back to the government, which it accuses of waste and corruption.

Monday’s proposal from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party apparently would leave the money with the government from the start, with the funds to be dedicated to official quake relief.

It also suggests reducing the size of the legislature to save money — but in a way that would tend to favour larger parties such as itself.

Some opposition politicians are cautious about the proposal, because the ruling party has a long history of getting illegal campaign contributions from union or business leaders.

Mexico gives parties government funding both for campaigns and for operating expenses in an effort to reduce privately funded corruption.

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12:05 p.m.

The death toll from last week’s big earthquake in central Mexico is now 333.

National Civil Defence 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 centred. 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 centred off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.

8:05 a.m.

The toll of dead following Mexico City’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake of last week is continuing to rise.

Civil Defence chief Luis Felipe Puente reports by Twitter that 331 are now known dead. Of those, 192 are in Mexico City.

The Sept. 19 quake also killed 74 in Morelos state and 45 in Puebla state, where it was centred. 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 centred off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.