Officials report that torrential rains triggered floods at a hospital in Mexico’s central Hidalgo state, killing at least 17 patients.
According to reports, a river burst its banks, causing the hospital in Tula’s town to lose electricity.
According to local media, several of the victims were Covid-19 patients receiving oxygen therapy.
About 40 patients were evacuated by rescuers. Meanwhile, a boat carrying the governor of the state sunk in the river.
Later, Omar Fayad tweeted that he was “safe and sound,” and that state officials will continue to coordinate emergency efforts in the impacted areas.
The army was dispatched to help rescue teams in the aftermath of the catastrophe.
The hospital fatalities have left Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador “extremely grieved.”
Residents of low-lying regions should seek refuge or stay with family or friends in safer areas, he said.
The floods have impacted more than 30,000 people in communities across the state.
Separately, two individuals died in Ecatepec, a northern neighborhood of Mexico City, as a result of floods, according to officials.
