MEXICO:Mexican soldiers have been digging for victims of a giant mudslide that buried a village when torrential rains caused a soaked hillside to collapse.
A wall of water and mud more than half a mile (1km) long engulfed Juan de Grijalva on Sunday night, smothering houses under tonnes of earth and rock.
Three bodies, including a woman, have been found, rescue teams said, and at least 13 more people are feared dead.
"The sound was like a helicopter coming," said Carolina Hernandez (16). "My dad died with my two little sisters."
The mudslide left a massive brown stain on the green tropical hills of Chiapas state before falling into a river and kicking up a huge wave that hit the village.
Scuba divers were searching the Grijalva river for survivors or bodies. "We are in the process of handing over the bodies to family members. We hope we don't find more dead, we hope to find people alive," said Chiapas civil protection spokesman Salvador Cervantes.
Locals said the death toll could reach more than 30.
Francisco Navarro (42), a teacher, searched the water in a fishing boat. "There are many people from the village who haven't appeared," he said, adding that he had lost nine relatives, including a brother.
News from the village, perched on a remote mountain, took almost a day to reach the outside world. Initial reports said the accident happened on Monday.
The rains that triggered the mudslide had already flooded Tabasco state downriver, forcing some 800,000 people from their homes in one of Mexico's biggest natural disasters.
Much of Tabasco was still under water after the floods last week. Gov Andrés Granier put the economic cost of the disaster at 50 billion pesos (€3.17 billion).
President Felipe Calderón, who cancelled a trip to an Ibero-American summit starting in Chile today, promised seven billion pesos in government aid for the flooded areas. "I know it is not enough but it is a start," he said while on a tour of the region.
Three people have been reported dead in Tabasco, an oil-producing state, but many have lost their livelihoods and the region's economy has been devastated. In the state capital, Villahermosa, luxury vehicles floated in car showrooms as the flood waters engulfed the city, while many businesses were looted.
The federal government began pumping water from Villahermosa, home to half a million people, on Tuesday and Mr Calderon said it planned to carry out a massive fumigation programme to prevent waterborne diseases. But most residents are unlikely to return for up to three months.
Many of the areas worst hit by the flooding have been turned from woodland into farmland in recent decades, removing forests that could have reduced the effects of the flooding. - (Reuters)
The Mexican embassy in Ireland has opened a bank account for donations to help those affected by the floods. The details are as follows: Account name: Tabasco Relief 2007. Allied Irish Bank. Account number: 27506570. Sort Code: 93-13-65.