At least 41 individuals have died in central Mexico after several days of intense rainfall triggered widespread floods and landslides, authorities confirmed Saturday.
The confirmed death toll climbed as thousands of military personnel combed through the devastation left by the receding waters, clearing roads obstructed by fallen trees and vehicles to locate those still missing.
In Poza Rica, an oil town situated 170 miles northeast of Mexico City, residents informed The Associated Press they heard a surge of water and the sound of vehicles colliding before witnessing the locality inundated with over 12 feet of water on Friday.
Not all inhabitants managed to evacuate in time.
Shadack Azuara, 27, recounted visiting his uncle’s home at 3 a.m. Friday before the floods, but received no answer when he knocked. He returned Saturday to find his uncle shirtless and facedown in the murky water surrounding his bed, having apparently drowned.
“We believed he had departed, that he had evacuated along with everyone who left,” Azuara stated.
The torrential downpours had claimed 16 lives in the state of Hidalgo, north of Mexico City, and severed power to 150 communities, Mexico’s National Coordination of Civil Protection reported Saturday.
A minimum of nine people perished in the state of Puebla, east of Mexico City, and over 16,000 homes sustained damage or were entirely destroyed.
There were also 15 fatalities in the state of Veracruz, where the army and navy conducted rescue operations for residents in dozens of communities that became isolated subsequent to and as swollen streams obstructed roadways.
Authorities indicated they were actively seeking 27 across the region, and 16,000 residences were damaged throughout the Gulf coast state’s 55 municipalities.
Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child lost their life after being caught in a landslide.