Death Toll in Mexico Quakes Rises to 4,596

The confirmed death toll from Mexico City’s twin earthquakes rose today to 4,596, police said, but another newborn baby was discovered alive in a shattered building where it had been shielded more than five days by the body of a dead adult.

The Mexico City News said a damaged building collapsed late Tuesday, possibly trapping dozens of rescue workers, but the report could not be immediately confirmed.

The baby was pulled alive shortly before 1 a.m. from under the rubble of the maternity ward of the General Hospital, a complex where several buildings collapsed last week.

Saved From Debris

Rescuers said the infant was apparently saved because it had been sheltered from falling debris by a body. The baby was given oxygen and taken to a nearby hospital.

The Police Department announced 436 people had been found dead or had died of injuries in hospitals in the previous 24 hours, bringing the official death toll in last week’s massive quakes to 4,596.

Officials estimate that another 2,000 victims are still buried beneath hundreds of buildings destroyed in earthquakes last Thursday and Friday, which registered 7.8 and 7.3 respectively on the Richter scale.

Millions Without Water

Officials reported that 2 million residents were still without water six days after the initial quake. A spokesman for the Seismological Institute said there have been 51 aftershocks since Thursday--including several Tuesday--but most were too weak to be felt.

Work crews began fumigating and demolishing buildings in the heart of Mexico City, a sign that authorities had little hope of finding more survivors trapped in the ruins.

Ricardo Ampudia, a presidential spokesman, said the fumigation was aimed at protecting the city’s 18 million people from disease.