Mexico floods leave 64 dead, 65 missing; rescue ops intensify
“Days of heavy rain devastated multiple Mexican states, killing 64 people.”
Key points
- Days of heavy rain devastated multiple Mexican states, killing 64 people.
- Sixty-five remain missing as troops and aircraft deliver aid to cut-off towns.
- Veracruz, Hidalgo and Puebla reported widespread damage and power outages.
- Residents described rivers overrunning banks and roads washed away.
Mexican authorities raced to reach isolated communities after days of torrential rain triggered deadly floods and landslides across several states, raising the death toll to 64 with 65 people still unaccounted for. President Claudia Sheinbaum said roughly 10,000 troops had been deployed, with boats, aircraft and helicopters ferrying food and water to areas cut off by collapsed roads and bridges.
The states of Veracruz, Hidalgo and Puebla were among the hardest hit. In parts of Hidalgo, residents trekked for hours through mud to find essential supplies as power outages kept towns in the dark. Locals described overflowing rivers that severed access, leaving villages trapped and dependent on air deliveries for relief.
Meteorologists said the deluge was intensified by the interaction of a tropical system from the Gulf of Mexico with a cold front from the north. Evacuations were ordered in coastal zones last week as rivers rose, while in upland districts the downpours unleashed slope failures and earthflows that buried routes and homes.
With skies clearing in some places, heavy machinery began clearing debris to reopen lifelines. Sheinbaum rejected suggestions of advance warning failures, arguing the dynamic, compound weather pattern made precise forecasting difficult. Emergency shelters remained open as responders worked to restore connectivity and locate the missing.
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