Maxico: Strong 6.2 earthquake jolts southern state of Oaxaca, halts rescue operation

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.2 jolted the southern state of Oaxaca in Maxico.

Days after the powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake that rocked Mexico earlier this week, the 6.2 quake has halted the rescue operation, said U.S. Geological Survey.

Earlier, the toll from the powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake that rocked Mexico earlier this week has risen to 292, the national emergency management chief has said.

National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said in his latest preliminary report on fatalities on Friday that the number killed in Mexico City from Tuesday's powerful temblor had increased from 148 to 154, Efe news reported.

Dozens of other people perished in nearby states, with 73 dead in Morelos, 45 in Puebla, 13 in Mexico state, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

The number of missing has fallen from 200 in the initial count to 42 people who may still be trapped under the rubble of collapsed structures, Puente said.

The Civil Protection chief reiterated Friday afternoon -- 72 hours after the quake struck -- that the search for survivors would continue until rescuers were certain that no one was still alive amid the wreckage.