As dust settles, earthquake’s toll becomes clearer
MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials are tallying up the economic losses of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that caused widespread damage in the capital, as the number of buildings that may need to be pulled down or need major repairs rose to 500.
The death toll in the quake rose to 333, with 194 of those deaths in Mexico City. Authorities pledged a return to normality, but many streets in the capital were still blocked by construction equipment and recovery teams looking to extract the last remaining bodies from the rubble. Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said 40 to 50 people are still considered missing.
The city government announced a plan of reconstruction loans and aid for apartment dwellers who lost their homes or who may lose them as teetering buildings are pulled down.
But for city businesses like the downtown restaurant Guapa Papa, the result is already all too clear.
Sitting in the entrance of his restaurant Monday, surrounded by caution tape, Antonio Luna said: “This is a bust. It’s already closed due to structural damage to the building.”
He had to let go the three dozen employees at the 1950sthemed restaurant and is just trying to salvage whatever furniture and equipment wasn’t damaged.
“In the end, the company let everyone go because it couldn’t continue having expenses,” Luna said.
Mancera said that the city, in alliance with private developers, would handle repairs on buildings that needed touch-ups or minor structural work to be habitable. He offered low-interest loans to apartment owners whose buildings would have to be demolished and rebuilt.
However, it is unclear to what extent the city can force owners to demolish buildings. Some that were damaged in the 1985 earthquake are still standing, in part because court challenges can stretch on for years.