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Landslide death toll less than was feared
Source: Agencies |
September 30, 2010, Thursday
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MEXICAN officials have dramatically scaled back the number of people feared killed after a landslide triggered by heavy rains swept across a remote area of the country early on Tuesday.
Initial estimates were that the disaster in Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, a town of about 9,000 people, could have claimed hundreds of lives.
But Oaxaca state Governor Ulises Ruiz later told local radio that four people were confirmed dead and 12 were missing.
Blocked roads made it difficult for rescue crews to search for survivors and the unstable rain-soaked terrain also limited their use of heavy machinery.
"We hope that the people who are missing are rescued alive but ... without disregarding the people who died in this event, we think the figures will be much lower than those mentioned earlier this morning," Ruiz said.
On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of soldiers and police arrived in the town and began searching for survivors.
Civil protection authorities in Oaxaca said the landslide was due to heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Matthew, which killed 12 people in Central America over the weekend.
The landslide is another blow to Mexico as it grapples with unusually heavy rains that have triggered floods, forced thousands of people from their homes in parts of the country and hit crops.
President Felipe Calderon promised support for the residents of Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, home to farmers who speak Mixe, one of Mexico's numerous indigenous languages.
"We are very saddened by this tragedy," Calderon told reporters.
Fausto Martinez, a rescue worker with the Oaxaca civil protection force, said before dawn civil protection authorities received a call by satellite phone from a resident in the town, which is located about four hours from the state capital of Oaxaca.
"They said the mountain had collapsed and a lot of people were in their homes because of the hour," he said.
Oaxaca, a popular destination for tourists, is also known as one of Mexico's top growers of high-quality coffee.
A top representative of Oaxaca's coffee growers said it was too early to assess the current damages to the crop.
However, he added that if heavy rains continue throughout October, up to 20 percent of the Oaxaca's harvest could be lost.
Initial estimates were that the disaster in Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, a town of about 9,000 people, could have claimed hundreds of lives.
But Oaxaca state Governor Ulises Ruiz later told local radio that four people were confirmed dead and 12 were missing.
Blocked roads made it difficult for rescue crews to search for survivors and the unstable rain-soaked terrain also limited their use of heavy machinery.
"We hope that the people who are missing are rescued alive but ... without disregarding the people who died in this event, we think the figures will be much lower than those mentioned earlier this morning," Ruiz said.
On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of soldiers and police arrived in the town and began searching for survivors.
Civil protection authorities in Oaxaca said the landslide was due to heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Matthew, which killed 12 people in Central America over the weekend.
The landslide is another blow to Mexico as it grapples with unusually heavy rains that have triggered floods, forced thousands of people from their homes in parts of the country and hit crops.
President Felipe Calderon promised support for the residents of Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, home to farmers who speak Mixe, one of Mexico's numerous indigenous languages.
"We are very saddened by this tragedy," Calderon told reporters.
Fausto Martinez, a rescue worker with the Oaxaca civil protection force, said before dawn civil protection authorities received a call by satellite phone from a resident in the town, which is located about four hours from the state capital of Oaxaca.
"They said the mountain had collapsed and a lot of people were in their homes because of the hour," he said.
Oaxaca, a popular destination for tourists, is also known as one of Mexico's top growers of high-quality coffee.
A top representative of Oaxaca's coffee growers said it was too early to assess the current damages to the crop.
However, he added that if heavy rains continue throughout October, up to 20 percent of the Oaxaca's harvest could be lost.
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