At least 44 dead as tropical storms Priscilla and Raymond trigger floods and landslides in Mexico

At least 44 people have died in Mexico following several days of relentless rain and flooding caused by tropical storms Priscilla and Raymond, the government announced on Sunday. The torrential downpours triggered landslides and severe flooding across five states.

According to a government statement, 18 deaths were reported in Veracruz, 16 in Hidalgo, nine in Puebla, and one in Querétaro. President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration said it was coordinating a response plan to assist 139 affected towns.

In Veracruz, one of the hardest-hit regions, about 540 millimetres (more than 21 inches) of rain fell between October 6 and 9. By Saturday, much of the floodwater had receded, revealing scenes of devastation — cars suspended in treetops, and even a dead horse lodged inside a pickup truck.

Authorities said the death toll from the landslides and floods had surged sharply as thousands of soldiers worked to clear blocked roads and rescue missing persons.

Photos released by the Mexican military showed soldiers evacuating residents in life rafts, homes swamped with mud, and rescue teams wading through waist-deep water in submerged towns.

”We continue with attention to the emergency in Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro, and San Luis Potosí, in coordination with the governor and the governors, as well as various federal authorities. The National Emergency Committee is in permanent session,” Sheinbaum said on X.

Across the Gulf coast state’s 55 municipalities, another 16,000 homes were damaged. Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child died being caught in a landslide.

Across the country, over 320,000 users were affected by power outages caused by the heavy rains, authorities said. Authorities have attributed the deadly downpours to Tropical Storm Priscilla, formerly a hurricane, and Tropical Storm Raymond, both off the western coast of Mexico.

With inputs from agencies