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Mexico reels from deadly floods as death toll climbs to 64

Mexico reels from deadly floods as death toll climbs to 64
Source: Reuters

At least 64 people have died and dozens more remain missing after days of torrential rain and flooding devastated five Mexican states, officials confirmed Monday.

Laura Velázquez Alzúa, head of the National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC), said during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily briefing that 65 people are still unaccounted for. Veracruz was hit hardest, with 29 confirmed deaths, followed by Hidalgo with 21, Puebla with 13, and Querétaro with one.

Hidalgo alone has 43 people reported missing, while Veracruz has 18 and Puebla four.

Thousands of troops have been deployed across the affected regions to deliver aid and rescue survivors.

“Governors are working together to coordinate support,” President Sheinbaum said, adding that roughly 100,000 homes have been damaged, many near rivers “practically disappeared.”

Facing questions over whether the disaster could have been predicted, Sheinbaum said there were no meteorological signs suggesting the rains would be so severe. Meteorologists later traced the floods to the remnants of Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Rainstorm Raymond, which caused rivers to surge and triggered deadly landslides.

Veracruz’s Cerro Azul and Puebla’s Cuetzalan del Progreso were among the hardest-hit areas, recording 280mm and 286mm of rainfall respectively in a single day.

The Mexican Army, Air Force, and National Guard have launched large-scale relief efforts, dropping food and clean water into isolated areas. Power companies say they have restored more than 80 percent of electricity after 263,000 customers were left in the dark.

 

 

Wyoming Star Staff

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