Mexico Storms Death Roll Rises to 97

The death toll from destructive storms that have battered Mexico jumped to 97 on Thursday, a senior official said.

Luis Felipe Puente, the national civil protection coordinator, said 65 of the fatalities were registered in the southwestern state of Guerrero.

The new figure, rising from a previous toll of 81, did not include reports of deaths in a major mudslides in a mountain village of Guerrero, where 58 people are missing.

The country was battered by two storms on opposite coasts this week, with Manuel regenerating as a hurricane and hitting the northwestern coast on Thursday before weakening to tropical storm force.

"For the moment, there are 97 deaths from these two weather phenomena," Puente told Foro television.