ACAPULCO, Mexico — With a low, rumbling roar, an arc of dirt, rock, and mud tumbled down the hillside in the remote mountain village of La Pintada, sweeping houses in its path, burying half the hamlet, and leaving 68 people missing in its mad race to the river bed below.
It was the biggest known tragedy caused by twin weekend storms that struck Mexico, creating floods and landslides across the nation and killing at least 97 people as of Thursday.
The missing from La Pintada were not yet included in the official national death toll of 97, according to Mexico’s federal Civil Protection coordinator. Some 35,000 homes across the country were damaged or destroyed.
Government photos show major mudslides and collapsed bridges on key highways, including a major four-lane expressway that links Acapulco to Mexico City.