MEXICO CITY: The death toll from twin storms that lashed Mexico last week has jumped from 123 to 130, officials said Tuesday, warning that a new storm could form off the southern coast.
Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told Radio Formula that the latest body count included victims found in a mudslide that buried half a village in the mountains of Guerrero state. Authorities said late Monday that five bodies have been pulled from the mud in La Pintada so far, while 68 remain missing following last week’s disaster.
Tropical storms Ingrid and Manuel walloped the country on opposite coasts, unleashing floods and landslides that damaged scores of roads and bridges and affected 1.5 million homes.
The National Weather Service said a new low pressure system off the coast of the southern state of Oaxaca could become a cyclone in the next few days. The neighboring state of Guerrero — the worst hit by last week’s storms — faced the prospect of moderate and heavy rain on Tuesday evening.
