Torrential Rains in Mexico Sweep Away Homes and People in Minutes

In a harrowing scene in the mountain town of Huauchinango, Rosalia Ortega stood near the lifeless body of her sister, grateful to have found her amidst the river of mud that had suddenly swept away their home during torrential rains. The disaster has claimed at least 47 lives since Thursday, leaving devastation in the hardest-hit Mexican states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro, and Veracruz.

“We’re sad, but at least we’re going to give her a Christian burial,” said Ortega, 76, to AFP. Official reports indicate that Puebla alone recorded nine deaths along with extensive property damage.

The floods struck the Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountainous region running parallel to Mexico’s east coast, dotted with villages still lacking telecommunications and basic services. On Thursday evening, a rain-swollen mountain river in Huauchinango overflowed its banks, sweeping away homes and claiming lives within minutes.

• Maria Salas, 49, a local cook, lost five relatives when their house collapsed, and her own home was destroyed by a landslide. She said: “I can’t get my belongings, I can’t sleep there. I have nothing.”

Residents now struggle to fund funerals and salvage whatever remains from their damaged homes. Huauchinango, with 100,000 inhabitants, is one of the largest accessible communities in the disaster zone as of Saturday.

Floodwaters transformed streets into rivers of mud, rendering even intact homes uninhabitable.

In less damaged areas, neighbours worked together using plastic bottles, brooms, and shovels to remove water. Soldiers deployed backhoes to clear debris from streets in affected communities.

Approximately 100 small communities remain unreachable due to road closures and power outages, severely affecting telephone services and travel.

Mexico has endured particularly heavy rains throughout 2025, with Mexico City setting a new rainfall record. Meteorologist Isidro Cano explained to AFP that the intense downpours since Thursday were caused by:

1. Seasonal atmospheric shifts
2. Rising warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico forming clouds over the mountaintops

These conditions combined to trigger the rapid and devastating floods in the mountain towns.