Hundreds feared dead in landslide in Oaxaca

A landslide swept a village in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca while residents slept and engulfed at least 100 homes, trapping and possibly killing at least 400 people, state authorities said (link in Spanish).

Some estimates put the number of victims much higher. The landslide hit the town of Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, in mountains to the east of Oaxaca City, at around 4 a.m. local time, Gov. Ulises Ruiz told the Televisa network.

Rescuers and news media scrambling to get to the remote area were being hampered by spotty communications and poor roads. Oaxaca is among the states in Mexico that have suffered flooding in heavy seasonal rains this summer.

The L.A. Times will have more updates throughout the day.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

Comments

[Hector Ignacio]

Tomas - Thanks for the update...my dad is from Yalag...I was just there in July...and good lord it's a very mountainous region.

Your post has given me more insight to whats happening down there than any news organization.

[Ali Jahanfard]

Not cool.

Ali Jahanfard

[Ray]

Nature's way...

[obama]

Lol too bad u just said it for us.

[A Mom]

I bet you actually thought that was funny didn't you? People died. Have some respect.

[Zachary]

This is really sad. Mexico has hit such hard times lately. I hope and pray for those affected.

[Proud to be me]

To: I SAID IT : You shouldn't assume all Illegal Aliens are Mexicans given that the word alien means from far away or from another planet: Being this the case, the only aliens in this Native American and previously Mexican land is you and all of the settlers who landed here hundreds of years ago. To use the word Alien in reference to any human or natural disaster depicts your race "once again" in such a derogatory manner and arrogance. Enough said.

[Tomas Vasquez]

Just spoke to my sister in law in Yalalag up on the mountains of sierra norte of the state of OAXACA about 5 miles away where the land slide occurred. The situation is critical as well as rain water keeps coming from the hills already saturated. It is evidente that every small village in the region must be in alert due to the geographical terrain. If the state goverment isn't capable to assess the risk, other groups or associations must do something to prevent more casualties.

[I said it]

Okay, now. No in-poor-taste-anti-immigration comments, such as "that's 400 less illegal alien welfare cases" we have to pay for, or "that's 4000 less anchor babies we have to deal with".

None of that stuff, please. Thank you.