Floods in Mexico left 22 people dead and damaged homes and hospitals

Floods caused by torrential rains in central and southeastern Mexico caused landslides, damaged homes and highways and killed at least 22 people, authorities said on Friday.

The central state of Hidalgo was one of the worst affected areas, with 16 deaths reported, according to the state’s Interior Minister, Guillermo Olivares Reyna.

At least 1,000 homes, 59 hospitals and clinics, and 308 schools were damaged in the state due to landslides and rivers flooding their banks. He said that about 17 of the state’s 84 municipalities were cut off from electricity.

In the neighboring state of Puebla, three people were killed and 13 others were missing, according to state governor Alejandro Armenta. He requested assistance from the federal government to rescue 15 people, including some children, who were stranded on rooftops due to floodwaters. He estimated that about 80,000 people were affected by the heavy rains, and said a landslide ruptured a gas pipeline.

The governor of Veracruz state, located on the Gulf coast, said that two people had died, including a police officer. The city of Poza Rica was one of the cities most affected by river floods. The authorities cut off electricity as a precaution.

Earlier, authorities in the central state of Queretaro confirmed that the child died after falling into a landslide.