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Searchers keep digging

Search teams were still digging in dangerous piles of rubble Monday, hoping against the odds to find survivors at collapsed buildings in Mexico City, where the death toll from the Sept. 19 earthquake rose to 186, and 324 nationwide.

Officials said they had cleared only 103 of Mexico City's nearly 9,000 schools to reopen Monday.

The need to inspect 98 per cent of the capital's public and private schools nearly a week after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake was a stark indicator of just how long the path back to normalcy will be.

Federal Education Secretary Aurelio Nuno said it could take a couple more weeks to inspect all of the schools, and the government will announce each day which schools have been cleared to resume classes. For schools found to have structural damage, students could be put in temporary classrooms.

"For the safety of the boys, the girls, the teachers and for the peace of mind, of course, of all the fathers and all the mothers, all schools will be inspected," Nuno said.

Rescue operations aimed at finding living survivors remained active in at least three sites in Mexico City — two apartment buildings and an office building — but hope dimmed every time rescuers had to retreat due to instability of debris. But no one has been found alive since Wednesday, when a woman was pulled from debris.

As darkness fell Sunday, prayers were held by families who have been gathered near the collapsed office hoping missing relatives will be found. 



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