At least 8 people died after Hurricane Grace passed through Veracruz, Governor Cuitláhuac García reported this Saturday.
Six of the victims belonged to the same family, while a girl also died after mudslides in the state capital, Xalapa. Meanwhile, an adult lost his life in Poza Rica, further north, after a roof fell off, García reported at a press conference.
Grace’s torrential rains, now downgraded to a tropical storm, also left heavy flooding in the city of Xalapa, the state capital.
Streets, avenues, neighborhoods and even shopping malls were under water in the city that is located about 106 kilometers from the coastal municipality of Tecolutla, where Grace made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the early hours of Saturday.
The effects of the heavy rainfall registered during the early morning were felt during the morning of this Saturday, when streets and avenues turned into rivers of muddy water, trapping dozens of cars.
Read also: Grace weakens to tropical storm; still causes heavy rains in 16 states
At least 10 neighborhoods suffered floods, including the Chicago Martyrs, where elements of the State Police had to intervene to rescue people trapped in their homes.
Governor Cuitláhuac García reported that 22 municipalities in the state have been affected after the passage of Grace.
Damages range from falling trees to flooding, power outages and falling poles.
So far the reported damages are located in Cerro Azul, Atzalan, Jalacingo, San Rafael, Álamo, Papantla, Martínez De la Torre, Tlapacoyan, Tecolutla and Tuxpan.
As well as Espinal, Tihuatlán, Cazones, Poza Rica, Nautla, Huayacocotla, Alto Lucero, Jilotepec, Xalapa and Las Vigas, among others.
The Veracruz authorities asked the population that is located in low areas and mouths of the Cazones, Tecolutla, Nautla, Misantla, Colipa, Actopan and La Antigua rivers, to remain vigilant in the face of rising rivers.
The president asked that the people who require it go to the temporary shelters that have been enabled throughout the state and recalled that 22 municipalities in Veracruz managed to obtain the emergency declaration.
After hitting eastern Mexico with torrential rains and powerful winds, Grace was downgraded this Saturday morning to a tropical storm, although it was still dumping heavy rains in several states of the country.
With information from Reuters and Efe
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