The death toll from heavy rains in eastern and central Mexico rose to 47 on Sunday, the federal government said, as civilian and military rescuers struggled to reopen roads to reach isolated villages.
Three new deaths are to be regretted compared to the previous death toll of 44, with the states with the highest number of deaths and property damage being the states of Hidalgo, Puebla and Veracruz, the Ministry of Security said in a press release.
Thirty-nine more people are missing, but local authorities believe some of the cases may be related to the destruction of telecommunications networks in villages in remote areas.
Air bridges
“Many roads are still impassable and some communities remain inaccessible. Today, air bridges were built to transport food and drinking water,” President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters in Poza Rica, in the northern state of Veracruz, this afternoon.
Ms. Sheinbaum traveled by military helicopter to three affected communities, where she encouraged residents to provide financial assistance.
AFP
These regions, crisscrossed by the Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range that runs parallel to the Gulf Coast, have been hit by a tropical storm that has brought heavy rain since Thursday.
This led to river flooding, flooding of entire villages, landslides, destruction of roads and bridges, and disruptions in power supplies and telecommunications.
The cloud cover finally lifted on Sunday, allowing increased efforts to reopen mountain roads and provide access to dozens of small towns.
Employees of the state energy group managed to restore power, which should help improve telephone communications.
Agence France-Presse visited areas of the municipality of Tenango de Doria in the state of Hidalgo, at the gates of mountain villages that have become inaccessible.
Many residents walk miles in both directions, some traveling to villages to visit loved ones, others descending for food and medicine.
“We left for health reasons and because there is no food, or because (traders) are taking advantage of the situation to raise prices,” Giovani, a 28-year-old resident of the region who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP.
