Mexico: Hurricane Manuel Death Toll to Rise as Landslide Destroys Village [PHOTOS]
Hundreds of people are missing and at least 80 are confirmed dead as Hurricane Manuel continues to batter parts of Mexico.
The death toll is expected to grow after 58 people were reported missing in a landslide that tore through the small coffee-growing village of La Pintada in the southern mountains.
Federal officials said they would not declare the villagers dead but said it is unlikely any people survived.
"It's very likely that these 58 missing people lost their lives," Angel Aguirre, governor of Guerrero, said.
Mexico has been battered by storms and hurricanes for almost a week. A storm devastated the country's Pacific coast over the weekend and then strengthened to become Hurricane Manuel.
There was further damage after Hurricane Ingrid left thousands stranded in shelters on Mexico's eastern Gulf Coast before it was downgraded to a tropical storm before making landfall.
Winds of up to 75mph and 5-10in of rain were expected over the state of Sinaloa, where people have been evacuated from small fishing villages.
The storms caused landslides, floods and rockslides. Interior minister Miguel Chong said there was a risk of more mudslides in the south.
He said the La Pintada landslide went straight through the village of 600 people live and cut off mountain road access.
Thousands of tourists at the popular holiday destination of Acapulco were stranded. More than 2,000 were airlifted from the Air Base Seven military installation because the civilian airport was flooded in the storms.
Hundreds of people on the poorer outskirts of Acapulco were left in waist-high water. There were reports of food stores being looted.
Luis Puente, Mexico's federal Civil Protection coordinator, said that 35,000 homes had been damaged or destroyed by the storms.
President Enrique Pena Nieto pledged to build new homes for those made destitute. It was a "moment of opportunity" to build safer places for people to live in the future, he said. The government's first priority would be to get aid to those in need as forecasters said the storms would continue to the weekend.
It was the first time two powerful storms have hit Mexico within a 24-hour period since 1958, when it was simultaneously hit by two tropical storms on separate coasts.
58 people are missing following a landslide in La Pintada.
Source: Amador Narcia/Twitter
Acapulco battered by storms as thousands of tourists are evacuated.
Source: Reuters
People wait for food rations in Acapulco.
Source: Reuters
Acapulco airport was closed after it flooded.
Source: Reuters
The death toll from the hurricanes in Mexico has reached 80 and is expected to rise.
Source: Reuters
The country has been hit with landslides and flooding for almost a week.
Source: Reuters
A house flooded by mud after a mountain landslide in Altotonga in Veracruz.
Source: Reuters
Around 35,000 homes have been destroyed by Hurricane Manuel and Ingrid.
Source: Reuters
end quote from:
No comments:
Post a Comment