Mexico hit by floods and landslides as heavy rains kill at least 27

Heavy rains this week sent rivers over their banks and triggered widespread flooding and landslides across central and southeastern Mexico, killing at least 27 people and leaving others missing while tearing through homes, schools and hospitals, officials said Friday. The storms cut power to entire communities, collapsed roads and prompted large-scale evacuations as emergency crews and the military moved to reach isolated towns.

The central state of Hidalgo was among the hardest hit. State Interior Secretary Guillermo Olivares Reyna reported 16 deaths there and widespread infrastructure damage, including about 1,000 homes, 308 schools and 59 hospitals and clinics affected by landslides and overflowing rivers. Officials said 17 of Hidalgo’s 84 municipalities lost electricity and scores of mountain communities were left inaccessible to rescuers.

Neighbors to the east also reported heavy losses. Puebla Governor Alejandro Armenta said nine people had died in his state and 13 were missing after landslides; he estimated roughly 80,000 people were affected and said a landslide ruptured a gas pipeline. In Veracruz authorities reported multiple fatalities, including a police officer, and...