Ex–Mexican President Dies

Miguel de la Madrid, the president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988, died in a Mexico City hospital Sunday at age 77. His botched handling of an earthquake that devastated Mexico City in 1985 and killed 9,000 popele caused a political scandal that later helped topple the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which had dominated Mexico for much of the 20th century. De la Madrid was seemingly absent for more than a day after the quake and at first refused international aid. A grassroots rescue operation turned into a political opposition.