Mexico City – Three children and an adult died in southern Mexico when streams and rivers became swollen due to intense rains falling in three states, Civil Protection spokesman Juan Jose Sanchez said.
The downpours were brought by Tropical Wave 18 from the Caribbean to the states of Chiapas, Veracruz and Guerrero
Odosio Sanchez Mendez, 22, and Jorge Hernandez Mendez, 13, drowned on Friday morning when the vehicle they were riding in was swept away by rising river waters in the Chiapas municipality of Jitotol.
The Chiapas Civil Protection department forecast that the rains will continue for the next few days and urged residents to take precautions and remain alert to warnings and other information disseminated by the authorities.
Elsewhere, in the Guerrero municipality of Azoyu, Josemar Clemente Miranda, 16, and Amayranic Olmero Miranda, 9, died when the car they were riding in was swept away by a stream that overflowed its banks on Friday night.
“They were traveling in a taxi. The driver wanted to cross (the stream) and the (water) carried it away,” Sanchez told EFE, adding that the bodies of the two youngsters were found on Saturday and the driver fled.
In Veracruz, local authorities reported that over the last four days almost 2,000 homes in 40 municipalities had been flooded as a result of 25 rivers and streams overflowing their banks.
Soldiers are carrying out Plan DN-III, which was activated two days ago after flooding in the port of Veracruz.
Although it has stopped raining in a large part of Veracruz state, located on the Mexican Gulf coast, Civil Protection authorities issued a preventive alert in more than 30 municipalities located along the banks of a number of rivers.
Health authorities have activated certain disease prevention programs to try and head off outbreaks.
Meanwhile, the Health Secretariat is standing ready with 27,000 shelters to house people affected by the flooding. Some 30,000 health officials are said to be prepared to help people who lose their homes or must evacuate.
The Government Secretariat says that nationwide 5.5 million homes and 21 million people – a fifth of the population – in 21 of the country’s 32 states are threatened by potential bad weather.
