Yesterday morning Tuesday 28 September, a hill over two hundred metres high fells on the city of Santa Maria de la Asunción Tlahuioltepec, causing death and destruction.
The Mexican army with a detachment of 30 soldiers were the first to arrive on the scene to provide help for the people in a district in which it is said 300 to 500 houses were buried. However, the Governor of the State the Hon. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, challenged the figures saying that there were four confirmed dead and others missing, and the number of houses was much lower..
Roads are blocked on account of the rain which has continued to fall for the last three months. The main bridge at Oaxaca has collapsed and many places are cut off. The heavy equipment needed has been unable to get through.
The hurricane “Matthew”, is being blamed as it has resulted in seven rivers in Oaxaca overflowing. The President of the Republic of Mexico the Hon Felipe de Jesus Calderón Hinojosa, has expressed his solidarity with the people affected by the tragedy and has issued orders for help to be made available.
A statement from the Press Office of the Salesian Bishop Héctor Guerrero, bishop of the Prelature of the Mixes, says that he has gone to the area to do what he can for the people even though telephone lines remain down.
There has been little contact possible with the Salesians in the area and details of the numbers involved are not available It is known that many houses have been destroyed, roads blocked and people made homeless and that some have been killed, but the exact numbers are not known.
Published 29/09/2010
