MEXICO CITY— Heavy rainfall has triggered a deadly cascade of landslides and catastrophic flooding across Mexico, leaving at least 27 people dead and several others missing, authorities confirmed on Friday. The relentless downpours have caused rivers to burst their banks, cut off power to numerous municipalities, and severely damaged critical infrastructure across multiple states.
The states of Hidalgo and Puebla bore the brunt of the immediate devastation. Civil protection officials in Hidalgo reported the highest toll with 16 deaths, confirming that over 1,000 homes and hundreds of schools have been affected by the rising waters. In Puebla, Governor Alejandro Armenta confirmed at least nine fatalities primarily due to fatal landslides, with an additional five residents still reported missing. Authorities in Veracruz state confirmed two more deaths.
Emergency Response and Search Operations
The scale of the emergency was sharply illustrated by the extreme conditions facing first responders. In the Veracruz town of Poza Rica, video footage from the Navy showed an officer navigating streets submerged neck-deep in water while actively searching for stranded citizens, following the catastrophic overflow of the Cazones river which brought the community under water.
The government has mobilized a massive relief effort to contend with the widespread crisis. President Claudia Sheinbaum posted on X, confirming that emergency teams were fully deployed. “We are working to support the population, open roads and restore electrical services,” she stated, sharing images of responders carrying vital supplies through flooded streets. Underscoring the national effort, the Ministry of Defense confirmed the deployment of over 5,400 military personnel to assist in monitoring, evacuation, and cleanup operations across the affected regions.
Tropical Storms Fuel Deluge
The intense, widespread precipitation is largely attributed to the presence of persistent tropical weather systems. Storms Raymond and Priscilla have been relentlessly dumping rain on the Baja California peninsula and Mexico’s western Pacific seaboard, creating the conditions for the severe flooding and landslides that have displaced communities and claimed lives.
