Dozens dead in Mexico after severe flooding; escaped tiger caught

Heavy rainfall in Mexico caused severe flooding and landslides across several states, leaving at least 37 people dead, authorities said on Saturday.

The Security Ministry said 117 cities and municipalities in five states in the east and centre of the country are heavily affected by the ongoing rainfall.

At least 6,700 soldiers were deployed to provide emergency aid and clear roads, President Claudia Sheinbaum said. “We are not leaving anyone behind; we are taking care of families who have lost a loved one,” Sheinbaum wrote on X.

Many of the victims were caught in landslides, according to authorities.

The states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro were worst affected by the storms. At least 34,000 houses as well as hospitals, schools, roads and bridges have been damaged. Some localities remain cut off from the outside world due to avalanches. Tens of thousands of households are without electricity.

In the eastern state of Veracruz, where five people lost their lives, the overflowing Cazones River flooded the city of Poza Rica, which has nearly 190,000 inhabitants. Around 35% of the local population was affected by the flood, Governor Rocío Nahle reported. Many people were forced to wait on rooftops and in trees for rescue by boats or from the air. Hundreds were brought to emergency shelters. The smaller town of Álamo was also underwater.

In the central state of Hidalgo, 22 people died, according to government reports. In the state of Puebla, there were at least nine fatalities with more people missing. A 6-year-old was buried under tons of rock and mud from a landslide in the state of Querétaro.

Mexico is at the end of its annual rainy season, which lasts about six months and usually ends in early November.

The heavy rainfall of recent days is partly due to the tropical cyclones Priscilla and Raymond in the Pacific, as well as weather phenomena in the Gulf of Mexico. Meteorologists forecast further rain in the coming days.

Tiger escapes, later caught

In one municipality in the central state of Puebla, a tiger escaped when the zoo flooded, but was later captured by authorities.

In Xicotepec, home to around 80,000 people, the San Marcos River overflowed its banks and flooded the surrounding area. Numerous houses were destroyed, the mayor stated in a video.

When the tiger escaped from the Animalia zoo, the Mexican environmental authority had warned residents to be cautious.