Torrential rains in Mexico leave 64 dead
Storms in Mexico cause 64 deaths and extensive damage. Veracruz, Puebla, and Hidalgo report severe flooding and landslides.
Photo of Vidar Nordli-Mathisen in Unsplash
Between October 6 and 9, heavy rains caused by storms and a tropical depression wreaked havoc in several Mexican states, leaving at least 64 dead and 65 missing, according to official reports.
Key details of the recent rains in Mexico
The most affected states are Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí.
Veracruz recorded 29 deaths, Hidalgo 21, Puebla 13, and Querétaro 1.
Maximum rainfall of 280 mm/m² was reported in Veracruz and 286 mm/m² in Puebla during the peak periods.
Around 100,000 homes were affected, and more than 111 municipalities have reported severe damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and basic services.
Government response and current situation
The National Civil Protection Coordination, led by Laura Velázquez, declared an emergency.
President Claudia Sheinbaum promised that no resources would be spared to address the emergency and rebuild the affected areas.
Some areas remain cut off due to landslides and damaged roads. Rescue operations, evacuations, and air assistance have been deployed in the most isolated areas.
Conditions in the hardest-hit areas of Mexico are expected to remain hazardous today: soils are saturated by previous rains, increasing the likelihood of landslides and flash floods in mountainous communities and surrounding valleys. Rescue teams, military personnel, and civil protection personnel remain deployed, using helicopters, boats, and heavy machinery to access isolated areas, evacuate trapped people, and deliver emergency supplies. In some towns cut off by landslides, rescuers are advancing on foot to search for survivors and consolidate escape routes.
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