HUAUCHINANGO: Rosalia Ortega stood near her sister’s lifeless body after finding her in the river of mud that suddenly swept away her house during torrential rains.
At least 44 people have died since Thursday as floods caused widespread destruction across the hardest-hit states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro and Veracruz.
Ortega expressed gratitude for being able to give her sister a Christian burial despite the tragedy in Huauchinango, where official reports confirmed nine deaths and substantial damage.
The disaster primarily affected the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, which runs parallel to Mexico’s east coast and contains numerous small villages.
A rain-swollen mountain river overflowed its banks in Huauchinango after dark on Thursday, destroying homes and claiming lives within minutes.
Maria Salas lost five relatives when their house collapsed and watched soldiers guard the entrance to her neighbourhood where her own home was destroyed by a landslide.
Grieving families now struggle to cover funeral costs and recover whatever remains from their damaged or destroyed homes.
Huauchinango’s 100,000 residents make it one of the largest communities in the disaster zone and among the few accessible by Saturday.
Floodwaters created heavy rivers of mud that swept away everything in their path and rendered even standing homes unusable.
Petra Rodriguez described knee-deep water surrounding her house and how her family held hands while escaping to ensure they would stay together.
Teacher Karina Galicia showed her mud-damaged, musty house where she and her family narrowly escaped being buried alive.
Neighbors in less damaged houses worked to remove water using plastic bottles, brooms, and shovels as part of recovery efforts.
Adriana Vazquez climbed through debris to find her relative’s house completely leveled by a landslide, with soldiers clearing rubble using a backhoe.
Approximately 100 small communities remain isolated due to road closures and power outages that prevent telephone contact and travel.
Mexico has experienced particularly heavy rainfall throughout 2025, with records broken in Mexico City.
Meteorologist Isidro Cano attributed the intense rainfall to seasonal shifts and cloud formation from warm, humid Gulf air rising to mountaintops. – AFP