Mexico City [Mexico], October 14: Severe storms have caused widespread destruction across Mexico, with at least 64 people reported dead and 65 people missing in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, authorities said on Sunday.
Around 260 towns, especially in mountainous regions, remained cut off from the outside world. Tens of thousands of homes were filled with debris and mud.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was confronted by protesting locals during a visit to the extensively flooded city of Poza Rica in the eastern state of Veracruz. Those affected are demanding faster assistance from the authorities.
Sheinbaum later said in a video message: "We know that there is a lot of despair and concern. We will take care of everyone." Many roads and bridges were damaged by the raging currents of swollen rivers, with fallen trees and landslides blocking numerous roads.
Tens of thousands of people were without electricity due to fallen power poles.
Meteorologists have warned that more rain is expected. With the soil already saturated, the risk of further landslides is rising.
The hardest-hit areas are in the eastern and central states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro and San Luis PotosÃ. Tens of thousands of homes, clinics, schools, roads and bridges have been damaged.
Most fatalities so far have been reported in Veracruz and Hidalgo, while deaths have also been confirmed in Puebla and Queretaro. San Luis Potosà suffered widespread damage but no casualties.
Mexico is at the end of its annual rainy season, which lasts about six months and usually ends in early November.
The heavy rainfall in recent days is partly due to the tropical cyclones Priscilla and Raymond in the Pacific, as well as weather phenomena in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the Mexican weather service, further rainfall is expected in the coming days.
In Puebla, a Bengal tiger escaped from a zoo near the municipality of Xicotepec during the floods. The tiger was later confirmed dead, trapped under debris carried by the floodwaters, the environmental agency Profepa said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
