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MEXICO CITY, Oct. 9-- The 8.2-magnitude earthquake, which took the lives of 98 people in southern Mexico on September 7, had sparked over 7,000 aftershocks by Monday, announced Mexico's seismological service SSN. An SSN report said that by 9.30 a.m. on Monday, 7,036 aftershocks had been felt from its epicenter in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico's southeastern coast of Chiapas. Previous SSN reports indicated the two largest aftershocks had reached a magnitude of 6.1, one in the early hours of Sept. 8 and another in the morning of Sept. 23. The SSN and the National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) have explained that the thousands of earthquakes are due to a readjustment of the Cocos tectonic plate due to a likely crack. Over 100,000 buildings were damaged in 4,400 towns of the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, leading many to sleep outside their homes for fear of the constant replicas. The SSN also provided an updated information about the 7.1-magnitude earthquake which shook central Mexico on Sept. 19. It left 369 dead but has only generated 39 aftershocks. In Mexico City, where 228 people died and 38 buildings collapsed, 11 people are still hospitalized, with one in critical condition, said Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera on Monday. He added that civil protection staff are continuing to evaluate around 1,000 damaged buildings to estimate if they remain fit for use. | 
