Mexico quake's homeless gather in tent village, toll reaches 286

MEXICO CITY – Desperate residents left homeless by Mexico's deadliest earthquake in a generation gathered in a tent village in the south of the capital on Friday, as the death toll climbed to 286 and signs of exhaustion gripped rescuers three days after the tremor.

Tuesday's 7.1 magnitude quake leveled some 52 buildings in the sprawling Mexican capital, sparking a frenzied hunt for survivors and prompting political parties to outdo each other with pledges of donations to the rescue efforts ahead of next year's election.

Across the city of 20 million people, the extent of damage from the quake was becoming apparent, with many people whose dwellings had become uninhabitable seeking somewhere to call home, raising the risk of a housing shortage in coming weeks.

Despite dimming hopes of finding more survivors, President Enrique Pena Nieto insisted rescue operations would continue.