At least 40 people have been killed by landslides in the Mexican states of Puebla and Veracruz after Tropical Storm Earl hit eastern Mexico, according to the official Twitter account of National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Puente.
In Puebla, where 28 died people died, Gov. Rafael Moreno Valle visited the areas affected by Tropical Storm Earl on Saturday and has posted photos on his official Twitter account of some of the damage caused by the storm.
“My government will have all resources available. We will not rest until all the damages caused have been repaired,” Moreno tweeted.
Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte tweeted from his verified Twitter account that there were 11 deaths in his state “due to the hill’s mudslides in the mountainous areas of the state.”
Before becoming a tropical storm as it moved across the region and then being downgraded to a tropical depression, the storm was Hurricane Earl.
“The remnants of Hurricane Earl (now a tropical depression) are moving off the southwestern coast of Mexico and are expected to regain strength,” CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.
While the storm has been downgraded, the heavy rains will continue, forecasters said.
“The remnants of Earl are expected to produce an additional 2 to 4 inches of rainfall over portions of the Mexican states of Guerrero, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Veracruz through tonight,” the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory Sunday. “These rains could result in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.”
