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In minutes, Mexico’s rains swept away homes and people
HUAUCHINANGO: Standing near the lifeless body of her sister, Rosalia Ortega was grateful to have found her in the river of mud that suddenly swept away her house as torrential rains pounded her Mexican mountain town.
At least 47 people have died since Thursday as floods have wreaked a trail of destruction in the hardest-hit states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro and Veracruz.
“We’re sad, but at least we’re going to give her a Christian burial,” Ortega, 76, told AFP in the town of Huauchinango, in Puebla, a state east of Mexico City that according to official reports saw nine deaths and substantial damage.
The disaster zone is the Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range that runs parallel to Mexico’s east coast and is dotted with villages where telecommunications and other services have yet to be restored.
On Thursday, well after dark, a rain-swollen mountain river overflowed its banks in Huauchinango and within minutes robbed local residents of their homes and, in some cases, their loved ones.
That’s what happened to Maria Salas, a 49-year-old cook sheltering from the rain with an umbrella, watching two soldiers guarding the entrance to her neighbourhood.
Salas lost five relatives when their house collapsed, and her own home was destroyed by a landslide.
“I can’t get my belongings, I can’t sleep there,” she said. “I have nothing.”
The grieving families are struggling to pay for funerals and, if anything is left over, to recover something from lost or damaged homes.
Huauchinango, with 100,000 residents, is one of the largest communities in the disaster zone and one of a very few that could be accessed Saturday.
Rivers of mud
The floodwaters swept away everything in their path, forming heavy rivers of mud that even rendered intact homes unusable.
“It was knee-deep,” says Petra Rodriguez, a 40-year-old domestic worker whose house was surrounded by water on both sides.
She, her husband and two sons managed to escape, holding hands so that if the water took one of them, “it would take us all,” she said.
In another part of town, teacher Karina Galicia, 49, showed AFP her mud-damaged, musty house. She and her family were able to run out; had they not, “we would have been buried,” she said.
In less damaged houses, neighbours worked to remove water with plastic bottles, brooms and shovels.
Adriana Vazquez, 48, climbed a rough path strewn with stones and mud to see if anything was left of a relative’s house.
What she found was a jumble of wood and tin houses levelled by a landslide. Soldiers were using a backhoe to remove a pile of debris from the street.
Her relative “answered the telephone,” Vasquez said, but she could hardly hear anything and hoped that was due to a poor connection.
About 100 small communities are uncontactable due to road closures and power outages that have complicated telephone services and travel.
Mexico has been hit by particularly heavy rains throughout 2025, with a rainfall record set in the capital, Mexico City.
Meteorologist Isidro Cano told AFP that the intense rainfall since Thursday was caused by a seasonal shift and cloud formation as warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico rises to the mountaintops.
Prince William’s desire to give his and Kate Middleton’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, a grounded, more ordinary upbringing is causing quiet concern among senior palace staff.
According to a new report, the Prince of Wales is focused on raising his family away from the royal mold, however, some insiders see his approach as potentially risky.
A source told Radar Online that the firm is drawing comparisons to Princess Diana’s past struggles with the “Men in Grey Suits.”
They fear that similar tensions may be resurfacing because William is determined and stubborn in his choices and insists on doing things his way.
“William’s vision is rooted in normality – he wants his kids George, Charlotte and Louis to grow up grounded,” they said.
“But some of the senior staff see that as a risk. They remember Diana’s battles with the Men in Grey Suits, and they see history repeating itself in a new form.”
The tipster further shared, “But William is pig-headed. He’s determined to do things his own way. The establishment – those Men in Grey Suits so feared and hated by Diana – are watching closely.
“They respect his instincts, but they’ll never let him forget that the monarchy survives not through change alone, but through community and presenting itself as all-powerful.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have released a major statement to mark a big day amid reports of new family tension at home.
According to royal expert Rob Shuter, Prince Harry is fuming over Meghan Markle’s decision to post new photos of their 4-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet, on Instagram.
Meghan’s tribute for International Day of the Girl might have won hearts online, but it reignited one of the couple’s oldest arguments — privacy.
Amid this development, Meghan and Harry shared a joint statement to mark the day.
They shared the statement via their Archewell Foundation.
They said, “Last year, in celebration of International Day of the Girl, The Archewell Foundation joined Pivotal Ventures and the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation to support a partnership between Girls Inc. and #HalfTheStory: an initiative designed to provide digital wellness programming for young girls in underserved communities across America.
“On this International Day of the Girl, The Archewell Foundation is proud to see #HalfTheStory continue to expand this work. Over the summer, #HalfTheStory, launched the New York State x #HalfTheStory Teen Tech Council, ensuring youth voices are represented in shaping what healthy educational environments look like in a digital age.”
They continued the Archewell Foundation uplifts organizations like #HalfTheStory, “today and every day”, that empower young people and young girls to shape their digital futures and to ensure that every child has the tools, confidence, and support to thrive both online and offline.
King Charles is reportedly in a difficult position after a newly uncovered email between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein raised fresh concerns about the Duke’s past statements.
The newly discovered email was sent shortly after a photo was published of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, which suggests he was still in contact with Epstein at a time despite claiming that their ties had ended.
Speaking on the matter, royal commentator Ingrid Seward said that the message paints a troubling picture of Andrew’s involvement with Epstein.
She told People’s Channel that the situation reflects poorly on the Duke of York and the royal family, putting King Charles in a tough spot.
“It’s very damning. And it just looks like he was in total cahoots with Epstein. And unfortunately for him and for the Royal Family, I don’t think this is the end of it, I think.
“There’s a lot more to come out. That’s the trouble. It’s an ongoing situation.”
The expert further noted that the email “just looks appalling for the Yorks,” adding that it puts pressure on Charles as “everyone’s asking” what he is going to do.
“Now, I think his hands are quite tied because – it is my opinion only – I don’t know this, but his mother obviously wanted Charles to look after Andrew,” she continued,
“The Queen knew that he was had a lot of problems and she must have entrusted his care to his elder brother.
“Because otherwise I can’t imagine that Charles wouldn’t have felt obliged to get Andrew out of there.
“But I think he’s tied between his mother’s wishes and his situation is as King and Head of State.”
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