Mexico Pacific Coast Floods Leave 6 Dead

The death toll from Hurricane Simon and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel rose to six after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides along Mexico’s Pacific coast, authorities said Tuesday.

Hurricane Simon continued moving slowly off Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 1 storm, bringing heavy rain to Nayarit and Sinaloa states, where authorities remained on alert for rising rivers and flooding. Over the weekend, the hurricane brought heavy rain to the southern state of Guerrero, killing one person.

The worst damage was reported farther north, in the coastal city of Ensenada, Baja California, where flooding caused by Rachel’s remnants killed at least five people. The victims included a 13-year-old girl found Sunday, two women ages 30 and 35, and a 4-year-old boy found Monday, according to the state prosecutor’s office. An unidentified person was found near a stream Tuesday.

Five others remained missing in Baja California, including three in Ensenada and a father and son who went fishing Saturday in San Felipe and never returned. About 300 military personnel, police and rescue workers searched along Ensenada’s El Pipila stream, while the Mexican Navy continued looking for the missing fishermen.

Floodwaters swept away vehicles, damaged homes and cut off access to some communities. One Ensenada resident described hearing a loud noise like intense ocean waves before discovering a nearby stream had overflowed, sweeping away a cabin and animals.

Elsewhere near Ensenada, Mexican soldiers used helicopters to rescue 32 people, including 13 minors, from Rancho Genesis, a camp for orphans staffed by missionaries. The army said 22 of those rescued were foreign nationals, including Americans and Germans.

Simon was moving parallel to Mexico’s Pacific coast Tuesday, threatening more rainfall in Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa. The storm was centered about 180 kilometers (110 miles) west of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph (90 mph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was moving west at 4 kph (2 mph).

In southern Guerrero state, Simon’s heavy rains toppled trees and utility poles, blocked roads and flooded homes in coastal communities, including the resort city of Acapulco. A 71-year-old person died when a wall collapsed in Chilpancingo, the state capital.

Authorities had taken preventive measures in the port city of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, ahead of the storm. Conditions were improving in the tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, where residents began resuming normal activities as the rain subsided, and schools were ordered to reopen.