Hundreds missing in Mexico mudslide

Up to 1,000 people are feared dead after a mudslide in southern Mexico on Tuesday. A 200-metre section of hillside collapsed before dawn, burying between 100 and 300 homes in the state of Oaxaca.

Reuters

The landslide occurred about 3am (0800 GMT) in the town of Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec. Rescue teams had not yet been able to reach the affected area by Tuesday afternoon.

Mexico has been hit by a series of hurricanes, tropical storms and depressions in the past few weeks. The latest, tropical depression Matthew, has sparked floods and knocked over trees across Central America and southern Mexico.

Mudslides have killed people in several states, including Oaxaca, Chiapas, Puebla, and Veracruz, where Hurricane Karl left at least 14 people dead and an estimated 400,000 people homeless.

Flooding and landslides in recent months have killed more than 300 people, left tens of thousands homeless and caused billions of dollars in damage across Central America.