Nearly 100 Dead After Mexico Storms | WPN World People News

Nearly 100 people have died in Mexico from the onslaught of huge storms that hit the country on both coasts.

Mexico's national civil protection coordinator said the death toll from days of floods and landslides stood at 97 after Hurricane Ingrid on the Gulf Coast and Tropical Storm Manuel on the Pacific coast triggered flooding and landslides throughout the country.

The death toll from the two storms does not include dozens of people missing after a landslide that devastated the village of La Pintada, west of the resort city of Acapulco.

People are searching the wreckage in La Pintada for the 68 people missing after the landslide cascaded down a hillside Wednesday, burying homes, schools and villagers in its path. The mayor of Atoyac de Alvarez, a municipality that oversees La Pintada, told reporters that at least 15 bodies have been pulled out of the rubble.

The Mexican army and commercial airlines have managed to evacuate more than 5,000 of the 40,000 tourists left stranded in Acapulco, where Manuel has left streets and airport terminals inundated with knee-high floodwater.

Officials say Manuel has caused nearly $400 million in damage.

Ingrid struck Mexico's Gulf Coast with high winds and torrential rains. Helicopters were used to carry residents to safety. The state-run oil company, Pemex, evacuated three oil platforms and halted drilling at some wells.

Source: Voice of America