A massive wave of mud and water swept through a Mexican village, leaving up to 16 people missing and feared dead after heavy rainfalls caused a hillside to collapse into a river, officials said.

Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans fled a flooded region of the swampy Gulf coast, jumping from rooftops into rescue helicopters, scrambling into boats or swimming out through the murky brown water.

Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans fled a flooded region of the swampy Gulf coast today, jumping from rooftops into rescue helicopters, scrambling into boats or swimming out through the murky brown water.

A huge military operation swung into action on Mexico’s flooded gulf coast today trying to rescue more than 300,000 people cut off by rising waters.