Oaxaca, Mexico – Heavy rains caused a mountainside to give way in rural, southern Mexico on Wednesday, burying two homes and killing 11 people, four of them children, officials said.
The pre-dawn mudslide in the village of Monte Orden, 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Oaxaca city, completely crushed both homes, killing the families.
They included four children, ages 1 to 14, and seven adults, according to Martin Vela, director of civil protection for Oaxaca state. He said neighbors using makeshift tools and their bare hands tore into the mud to recover the bodies throughout the day.
Renato Avendano, justice of the peace for Monte Orden, said at least 22 other families had their homes damaged, but that rescue officials did not expect the death toll to rise.
“The mountain came down on top of us,” Avendano said.
