Hurricane Manuel Brings Heavy Rains, Mudslides as Scores Remain Missing
After heavy rains dozens of people are still missing when a mudslide demolished structures and buried homes which was brought on by torrential rain that fell as Manuel drenched Mexico's Pacific Coast.
Mexico's president Enrique Peña Nieto said Wednesday that at least 58 people are still unaccounted for in the municipality of Atoyac de Alvarez during a press conference, calling the damage in the town "catastrophic."
The mayor of Atoyac, which is about 50 miles west of Acapulco, told CNN, that 15 bodies had been recovered and at least 70 people remained trapped under mud and debris that covered 20 homes.
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Peña Nieto said hundreds of people have been rescued from La Pintada, the community in Atoyac that experienced the mudslide, but it still remains unclear how many people by still be trapped or buried.
As of the last official count 80 people were confirmed dead after a trio of storms pounded the country, Mexico's interior minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told reporters. Manuel strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday evening.
"Unfortunately, this took us by surprise," local resident Veronica Garcia told CNN. "It rained uncontrollably. The streets flooded, and we had to stay inside our beach house."
Manuel was expected to dump 10 to 15 inches of rain over parts of Guerrero and Michoacan state, with some reports warning of a possible accumulation of 25 inches in some areas.
5 to 10 inches of rain were forecast in the states of Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit. Authorities said the rains would mountainous regions where flash floods and mudslides were possible.
Ingrid also brought heavy rains to the area surrounding the port city of Tampico as it moved west-northwest.
