Storms: Floods and landslides: More than 20 dead in Mexico

According to official figures, at least 24 people have died in severe weather in Mexico . Prolonged rains triggered flooding and landslides in several parts of the country, resulting in deaths. Entire areas are under water. At least 6,000 homes in the east and center of the country have been damaged by the floodwaters.

In the eastern state of Veracruz, where two people were killed, the Cazones River overflowed its banks and flooded the city of Poza Rica, which has a population of nearly 190,000. Around 35 percent of the local population was affected by the flooding, according to Governor Rocío Nahle. Many people waited on rooftops and in trees to be rescued by boat or from the air. Hundreds were taken to emergency shelters. The smaller town of Álamo was also under water.

In the central state of Hidalgo, 16 people were killed, according to the local government. Most were reportedly affected by landslides. In the state of Puebla, at least five people were killed, and eleven people are missing, media reported, citing official sources. A six-year-old boy was buried under tons of rock and mud from a landslide in the state of Querétaro.

Mexico is at the end of its annual rainy season, which lasts approximately six months and ends in early November. The heavy rainfall of the past few days is due, among other things, to tropical cyclones "Priscilla" and "Raymond" in the Pacific, as well as weather phenomena in the Gulf of Mexico. Meteorologists predict that rain will continue in the coming days.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:251011-930-149305/1