Hurricane Ingrid Floods Mexico, At Least 19 Now Dead

Hurricane Ingrid along with Tropical Storm Manuel continue to hammer the east and west coasts of Mexico this weekend. Even before the weather systems hit land, thousands faced evacuation as weather continues to worsen.

Experts believe Hurricane Ingrid may reach Mexico Monday, while Tropical Storm Manuel may cross the coast as soon as Sunday night. At the time of writing, Manuel continues to move toward the coast, now only 10 miles from the western town of Manzanillo.

Despite this, Mexicans in many areas are experiencing heavy rains, flash flooding, and landslides. Yahoo! News reports that by Sunday afternoon the number of deaths have risen to at least 19 people. 14 of these losses were in the state of Guerrero, in the southwest. Perhaps the single worst incident in the state involved a SUV losing control due to poor visibility on Saturday. The crash left all six passengers dead.

Landslides and collapsing walls have claimed six lives in Guerrero in several small towns. In the state capitol, Chilpancingo, the fast-moving waters of a flooded river swept away two others. Three people in the state of Puebla, including a 16-year-old boy, also fell victim to landslides.

According to Huffington Post, Hurricane Ingrid continues to reach wind speeds of 85 mph, while Tropical Storm Manuel is maxing out its wind speeds at nearly 75 mph, but is weakening.

Forecasts say that some areas of Mexico may see severe storms bring up to five feet of water. Already reports say flood waters in Acapulco have gotten up to three feet deep.

So far the severe weather brought by both Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel have closed roadways and bridges, say authorities, cutting off at least 71 communities.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons / NASA]