Mexico Mudslide 2013: 13 Killed In Veracruz Following Heavy Rains

Heavy rains which have pounded southeastern and central Mexico in recent days triggered a mudslide in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz on Tuesday, killing 13 in the town of Manzanatitla, about 200 miles east of Mexico City. Two homes located in a mountainous area were buried by mud and sand which slid off the side of a hill. The dead included a woman, her five children aged from two to 11, and her mother as well as a week-old baby, an 8-month-old boy, and another child, according to the Associated Press. Another person is still missing, according to a report from Notimex.

José Benito Alvarado, who lives near the houses which were buried in the mudslide, told La Jornada that he had seen lightning strike the top of a sandy hill which stands to one side of his own house. "In an instant, the ground started to shake. I heard a crack, like when you break the branch of a tree, but louder," he said. "I ran to the door to try to see what was happening, because I started to hear screams and when I stuck my head out, I saw the houses tumbling down like they were toys, and then a wave of sand buried them."

According to Notimex, rescue crews from the Army in coordination with the state and local police are continuing with the search for the missing person. The state governor, Javier Duarte de Ochoa, appeared at the site of the landslide and promised support for the families who were affected by the disaster. The governor also that reconstruction work would begin in coming days on a bridge which connects the rural community to another in the area. Several such communities in Veracruz have seen themselves cut off from the world for periods of this summer after bridges and roads were made inaccessible by mudslides. The tragedy is the second to strike the state in less than a month: at the end of August, mudslides caused by Tropical Storm Fernand's heavy rains left another 13 people from three different towns dead.

Other regions in Mexico have seen reports of smaller disasters triggered by the recent rains. One, in the town of Perote, caused the closure of one lane of the highway to the city of Xalapa. And in the municipality of Orizaba, some 20 homes were flooded. Authorities in the state say they will be on alert during coming hours.

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