Mexico's Rains Sweep Away Homes, Leave 47 Dead

Standing beside the lifeless body of her sister, Rosalia Ortega felt a bittersweet sense of relief — grateful to have found her amid the river of mud that suddenly engulfed her home as torrential rains battered her mountain town in Mexico.

At least 47 people have died since Thursday as devastating floods left a trail of destruction across the hardest-hit states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro, and Veracruz.

"We're heartbroken, but at least we’ll be able to give her a Christian burial," said Ortega, 76, in Huauchinango, a town in Puebla state east of Mexico City, which officials say has reported nine deaths and extensive damage.

The disaster zone lies in the Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range running parallel to Mexico’s east coast, dotted with remote villages where communication and basic services remain cut off.

Late Thursday night, a rain-swollen mountain river burst its banks in Huauchinango, sweeping away homes within minutes and claiming several lives.

Among the victims was Maria Salas, a 49-year-old cook who stood under an umbrella near her devastated neighborhood, guarded by soldiers. She lost five relatives when their house collapsed, and her own home was destroyed by a landslide.

"I can’t get my belongings, I can’t sleep there," she said. "I have nothing left."

Grieving families are struggling to cover funeral expenses and salvage anything from their destroyed or damaged homes.

With around 100,000 residents, Huauchinango is one of the largest towns in the affected area — and among the few that could be reached by road as of Saturday.

— Rivers of Mud —

The floodwaters swept away everything in their path, turning into heavy rivers of mud that left even undamaged homes uninhabitable.

“It was knee-deep,” said Petra Rodriguez, 40, a domestic worker whose house was surrounded by water on both sides. She, her husband, and two sons escaped by holding hands, fearing that if one was swept away, “it would take us all.”

Elsewhere, teacher Karina Galicia, 49, showed AFP her mud-damaged home. “We managed to run out just in time — if we hadn’t, we would’ve been buried,” she said.

In less damaged houses, residents worked tirelessly to clear out the water using plastic bottles, brooms, and shovels.

Adriana Vazquez, 48, climbed a rocky, mud-slicked path to check on a relative’s house — only to find a jumble of flattened wood and tin structures. Soldiers were using a backhoe to clear debris from the street.

Her relative had answered the phone, she said, but the connection was poor, and she hoped that was the only reason for the faint voice on the other end.

Roughly 100 small communities remain cut off due to road blockages and power outages, complicating rescue operations and communication efforts.

Mexico has endured unusually heavy rainfall throughout 2025, with record precipitation recorded in the capital, Mexico City.

Meteorologist Isidro Cano told AFP that the intense rainfall since Thursday was caused by seasonal atmospheric changes and cloud buildup, as warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico rose and collided with the mountain ranges.