The emergency situation caused by the intense rains affecting the Huasteca region and other states in central and southern Mexico continues to escalate. President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo reported on October 16 that the death toll has risen to 70, surpassing the 66 reported on Tuesday, October 14. In addition, the president detailed that 72 people remain missing in Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, Querétaro, and San Luis Potosí.
Veracruz continues to be the most affected state, with 30 deaths and 45 communities cut off from communication. Hidalgo reports 21 deaths and 84 communities isolated; Puebla records 18 deaths and 21 communities cut off from communication; Querétaro adds one death, and San Luis Potosí, although it has no communities cut off from communication, continues with cleanup and recovery efforts.
The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), through its General Director, Emilia Calleja, reported that power restoration has reached 93% in the affected areas. In Veracruz, 121,481 users already have electricity, 58,180 in Hidalgo, 23,500 in Puebla, and 4,970 in Querétaro. However, 19,700 users still need to be reconnected, mainly in hard-to-reach regions.
Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, Secretary of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation, detailed that 108 municipalities have been affected by the rains and flooding in Veracruz, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, and Hidalgo. Of these, 69 municipalities are considered priority for immediate attention. The number of isolated localities decreased from 191 to 160, thanks to the opening of alternate roads and the assessment of damaged bridges.
President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that the Victims and Search Commission of the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) continues its efforts to locate the missing. Although several people have been found, 72 remain unaccounted for, and families are still waiting for news.
To keep the population informed, the federal government has launched a rainfall reporting site, where people can consult the latest reports on affected roads, isolated towns, and progress in restoring basic services and communications in the affected states.
Hidalgo has 84 isolated towns, Querétaro 10 following landslides, and Puebla 21. In San Luis Potosí, no communities are isolated, but cleanup and rehabilitation efforts continue. Authorities have installed pedestrian crossings and alternate routes to ensure mobility, while technicians assess the damaged infrastructure, including bridges and critical roads.
The priority of the federal and state governments remains locating missing persons, restoring essential services such as electricity and water, and rehabilitating damaged roads and infrastructure. Inter-institutional coordination continues, and the public can find updated information on the official Mexican government microsite.
Source: marca
