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Mexico storm toll rises to 139

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IANS Mexico City
Last Updated : Sep 26 2013 | 1:55 PM IST

The death toll from tropical storms in Mexico has risen to 139, and 53 others were reported missing, said authorities.

Atleast 35 more people were injured in the landslide and floods that battered several states nationwide, Xinhua quoted Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong as saying Wednesday.

Chong said 312 cities of 14 states have declared a state of emergency and another 250 municipalities have declared a state of disaster. More than 58,000 people were evacuated from the affected areas.

The hardest-hit region was La Pintada, a village in the south western Guerrero state, which was swamped by a massive mudslide last week, leaving dozens of people dead.

Rescue workers are still looking for missing villagers.

According to official sources, the two storms Ingrid and Manuel, which hit Mexico's Pacific and Atlantic coasts respectively within 24 hours Sep 23, have affected 1.5 million families.

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About 633 million pesos (some $48 million) were allocated as relief fund to help the country recover from this devastating disaster, said Finance Minister Luis Videgaray.

He placed the total losses caused by the two storms at about $1 billion.

Mexican President Pena Nieto said Sunday they were considering revision in the country's 2014 budget to cope with the damage caused by the heaviest storms in decades.

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First Published: Sep 26 2013 | 1:48 PM IST

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