10 killed, 20 missing in southern Mexico from Hurricane Agatha

Palm trees blow in the wind before Hurricane Agatha makes landfall in Huatulco, Oaxaca State, Mexico on May 30, 2022. (Photo: AFP)

According to the governor of Oaxaca, the hurricane Agatha brought flooding and mudslides that resulted in at least ten deaths and 20 missing people.

Governor Alejandro Murat stated that rivers spilled their banks and washed people from their homes, while others were buried under mud and boulders.

Murat told local media that "There were fundamentally two reasons" behind the killings. "There were rivers that overflowed, and on the other hand, and the most serious part, were landslides."

Murat stated that the deaths looked to be centered in a handful of small mountain settlements close to the ocean. However, he said that there were reports of three missing youngsters near the resort of Huatulco.

Agatha made history the most powerful May landfalling hurricane recorded in the eastern Pacific hurricane season.

On Monday afternoon, it made landfall on a sparsely populated stretch of small beach towns and fishing communities in Oaxaca.

It was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, but it swiftly lost strength when it moved into the hilly interior. Tuesday, Agatha's remnants moved northeast towards Veracruz state.

Murat stated that power had been restored to some coastal regions, but several bridges and roadways were closed by mudslides.

The Tonameca River, which flows through San Isidro del Palmar, inundated the city only a few miles from the shore.

Residents waded through water up to their necks to retrieve anything they could from their homes, balancing heaps of garments on their heads and religious symbols in their arms.

Argeo Aquino, who has lived in the town his entire life, stated that he could only recall two other instances of such floods.

"The houses are totally flooded, so they are getting everything out," Aquino remarked as he observed his neighbors on Monday. "There are shops and homes. More than anything else, we must attempt to salvage all the valuable materials, as everything else will be swept away."

The muddy waters of the Tonameca reached the windows of parked automobiles and local transportation minibusses.

The nearby seaside resort of Zipolite, noted for its clothing-optional beach and bohemian attitude, was battered by heavy rain and strong gusts. The wind howled for around six hours on Monday, according to the manager of the Casa Kalmar hotel in Zipolite, Silvia Ranfagni.

Ranfagni stated that the sound of the wind was loud and high-pitched. "It started at 1 p.m. when the telephone coverage went out and it didn't calm down until 7:30."

"A lot of trees were down, roads washed out," she said. Numerous metal and thatched roofs have been blown off.

Agatha was founded on Sunday and rapidly acquired strength. Jeff Masters, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections, stated that it was the strongest hurricane to land in May in the eastern Pacific.

Publish : 2022-06-01 08:28:00

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