Landslide in Mexico leaves many dead

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.

The landslide blocked an already rain-swollen waterway and pushed a wall of water and debris over the remote village of San Juan Grijalva, home to about 600 people, most of whom fled into the hills ahead of the advancing wave.

Chiapas state Gov Juan Sabines described the wave as a “mini-tsunami” that wiped out structures in its path and may have swept away – rather than buried - any victims.

“It was something horrible. You can only see the floor of the church that was there, a school that was there,” Sabines told the Televisa television network after visiting the site. “This village practically disappeared.”

Television footage suggested the wave had swept the entire river valley, and helicopters searched the surrounding hills to rescue residents who fled to higher ground.

Chiapas officials said between 14 and 16 people were missing, while the federal Interior Department placed the number at 16. No bodies were immediately found.

“A severe landslide on a hill fell into the Grijalva River, causing an abrupt displacement of water that momentarily covered the village,” the department said in a statement.

The landslide was the latest blow after a week of devastating flooding and heavy rains that left 80 percent of Mexico’s Gulf Coast state of Tabasco under water, destroying or damaging the homes of about half a million people.

Yesterday, officials readied huge pumps to suck water from the inundated streets of the state capital, Villahermosa, while rescuers struggled to reach thousands of victims still stranded days after one of the worst floods in Mexico’s history.

US President George Bush shared his sympathy over the floods and suffering yesterday with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said Bush told Calderon the United States was ready to help Mexico meet its immediate needs to rebuild people’s lives and communities.

After Hurricane Katrina struck the US in 2005, Mexico sent a convoy of about 200 unarmed soldiers and medical personnel across the border with portable kitchens and water treatment equipment to aid recovery efforts.

US Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said the US had pledged 400,000 dollars (£207,000) in emergency assistance to Tabasco and Chiapas.

Two more bodies were found on Sunday, and if the deaths are confirmed to have been caused by the flooding, the disaster’s human toll would stand at 10.

Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier ordered central streets in the capital, Villahermosa, closed Monday to everyone but rescue workers to prevent looting.

However, officials also saw some signs of hope as the Grijalva and Carrizal rivers, which had risen as much as two meters (yards) above normal levels, began to subside yesterday by 26 and 45 centimetres (10 and 17 inches), as did storm tides in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Thanks to this, we are going to start pumping today,” Jose Luis Luege, director of the National Water Commission, told W Radio.

Officials were watching the weather after forecasters warned that a cold front could bring additional rain by Wednesday, Luege said.

Some flood victims gathered at makeshift docks that soldiers created out of sandbags, hoping to hitch rides on rescue boats. Many had left their homes nearly a week ago and wanted to go home for clothing and supplies before returning to shelters.

“We’re tired of being in the shelter, but who knows when we’ll be able to return home?” said Mariano Beltran, 35, as he waited for a lift home to pick up medicine for his mother.

Tens of thousands of hungry and sick storm victims still awaited food and aid. At least 20,000 people remained trapped on the rooftops of homes swallowed by floods.

Residents in Villahermosa began running dangerously short of food and water on Sunday.

As helicopters carrying aid made stops in hard-hit areas, disputes broke out among victims who pushed through crowds and struggled frantically for the packages.

Mexican newspapers published photos of people wading through waist-high water with bags of groceries presumably raided from local markets. Police said they detained about 50 people for looting over the last couple of days.

Since rivers first burst their banks on October 28, at least half a million people have been affected by power cuts and blocked roads, according to government figures.

In Chiapas state next door, four bridges and 180 miles (290 kilometres) of roads were washed out.

Many in Tabasco remained camped out on the rooftops or upper floors of their flooded homes too, to guard their possessions from looters, but their resolve was waning.