MEXICO CITY, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Tuesday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake in central Mexico has climbed to 273, the government said on Thursday.

Half of those deaths occurred in the capital Mexico City, where nearly 40 buildings collapsed.

According to a release from the national civil protection agency, 137 people were killed in the capital, 73 in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla state, 13 in the State of Mexico, six in Guerrero state and one person in Oaxaca state.