Heavy rains in the Mexico City metropolitan area caused a fatal mudslide in the capital’s outskirts on Monday night, just days after a similar disaster that killed nine people in another México state municipality.
At least six people have been confirmed dead and three others were injured after a hillside collapsed in Naucalpan in México state on Monday night.
On Friday, a mudslide about 15 kilometers to the west of Naucalpan resulted in the deaths of at least nine people, after search teams on Monday found the bodies of five victims who had been reported missing.
Monday’s disaster occurred when a hilltop that straddles the La Raquelita and Emiliano Zapata neighborhoods in western Naucalpan gave way. The resulting mudslide destroyed one building and damaged a school.
Neighbors immediately came to the rescue, arriving with picks and shovels and pulling two women to safety, but the bodies of four men and two other victims were recovered shortly after. It is not clear if the victims were inside their homes or out on the street when the mudslide occurred.
A third person was rescued and all three survivors are now being treated at the General Hospital of Naucalpan.
Governor Delfina Gómez ordered emergency personnel and heavy machinery to the area of the search and rescue operation which continued throughout the night even as heavy rains continued to fall.
The online news site Infobae reported that rescuers were forced to enter the crushed building from an adjacent property as they looked for more victims in the debris.
The rescue operation in Jilotzingo — the site of Friday’s tragedy — continued on Tuesday. Officials had completed the search operation at the location of the largest mudslide, which took down 16 buildings and a mini-mall, while authorities explored the other areas where smaller mudslides had simultaneously occurred.
Clean-up crews were working to remove debris, clear streets and salvage properties. Geologists who examined the area on Monday reported that at least 60 buildings were at risk of another landslide. The authorities ordered those 60 buildings evacuated, prompting officials to establish shelters for displaced families.
The state government set up four command posts to provide medical attention to victims. The state Health Ministry sent doctors and psychologists to attend to the needs of the residents.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) forecasts more rain in the Naucalpan area this afternoon and another storm tonight.
With reports from Infobae, La Jornada, El Universal and CNN en Español
