POZA RICA, Mexico (AP) — The death toll from Mexico’s torrential rains rose to 47 on Sunday as the fallout mounted from flooding and landslides in different states around the country, as the authorities were rushing to help affected residents, look for missing people and try to clean several areas.
Days after heavy rains drenched several parts of Mexico, the country saw over the weekend the extension of devastation in some states, where the flooding swept away vehicles and destroyed houses and roads.
President Claudia Sheinbaum traveled to some of the states and said the government will begin a census among affected people to distribute aid.
Mexico’s Civil Protection agency said as of Sunday night, the heavy rains had killed 18 people in Veracruz state on the Gulf Coast and 16 people in Hidalgo state, north of Mexico City. At least 12 people were killed in Puebla, east of Mexico City. Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child died being caught in a landslide.
That toll could still rise as rescue workers continued to dig through sodden villages clogged with mud and debris on Sunday.
Civil Protection said at least 38 people were missing in three different states.
Authorities have attributed the deadly downpours to two tropical systems that formed off the western coast of Mexico and have since dissipated, Hurricane Pricilla and Tropical Storm Raymond.
In Veracruz and Puebla, hundreds of army personnel, police officers and firefighters conducted rescue operations and set up temporary shelters where stranded residents could find food and medical attention. Thousands of residents across the country were still struggling with a lack of running water and electricity.
“There are still various communities in Veracruz that find themselves cut off that fortunately today they were able to establish air bridges to be able to take food, water and attend to any sick people,” Sheinbaum said on a visit to Veracruz Sunday. “We know that there is a lot of desperation and worry. We’re going to get to everyone.”
Parts of Veracruz state received some 21 inches (54 centimeters) of rain from Oct. 6 to 9.
In Poza Rica, an oil town 170 miles (275 kilometers) northeast of Mexico City, where Sheinbaum spoke with residents in muddy streets, some low-lying neighborhoods saw 12 feet of water or more when the Cazones River jumped its banks Friday.
