Donald Trump has offered condolences to Mexico’s president one week after the country’s worst earthquake in a century, claiming he had been unable to reach Enrique Peña Nieto for several days because of bad mobile phone reception.

Trump’s condolences represent his first public comments on the earthquake, which took place last Thursday and left an estimated 2.5 million people in need of assistance. Mexico’s minister of agriculture, Jose Calzada, said on Tuesday that the death toll had climbed to 98 people, mostly in the southern state of Oaxaca. Several US mayors and members of Congress shared their condolences with Mexico in the immediate aftermath of the 8.2 earthquake, as did Canadian president Justin Trudeau. But the White House did not mention the earthquake until Thursday afternoon. “Spoke to President of Mexico to give condolences on terrible earthquake,” Trump said on Twitter. “Unable to reach for 3 days b/c of his cell phone reception at site.” Peña Nieto has travelled twice to areas affected by the quake, but has also spent time this week in the national capital.(theguardian)…[+]