Heavy rain in Mexico sets off floods and landslides, killing at least 37

The death toll from landslides and floods set off by incessant rainfall in central and southeastern Mexico rose to 37 people on Saturday, authorities said, a sharp increase as thousands of soldiers cleared blocked roads to rescue the missing nationwide.

Mexico’s National Coordination of Civil Protection reported that as of Saturday, the heavy rains had killed 22 people in the state of Hidalgo, north of Mexico City, and cut off power to 150 communities there. At least nine people were killed in the state of Puebla, east of Mexico City, and over 16,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

Men carry cages with animals in the middle of a flood in Poza Rica, state Veracruz, Mexico. AFP

There were also five deaths in the state of Veracruz, where the army and navy were helping rescue residents from 42 communities left isolated by landslides on roads and flooded streams. Across the Gulf coast state's 55 municipalities, another 16,000 homes were damaged. Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child died being caught in a landslide.

Across the country, over 320,000 users were affected by power outages caused by the heavy rains, authorities said. Authorities have attributed the deadly downpours to Tropical Storm Priscilla, formerly a hurricane, and Tropical Storm Raymond, both off the western coast of Mexico.

Associated Press