Authorities raised the storm toll in Ensenada, Baja California, to eight on Wednesday, 14 October, and four of the dead are minors.
Reported figures for people still missing range from two to four, while another count lists four of 13 reported missing as not yet located.
An air operation on Monday, 12 October brought out 32 civilians, 22 of them foreigners and 10 Mexicans, from a community about 30 kilometres south of Ensenada.
At least 370 homes in Ensenada and 258 in San Quintín suffered structural damage, and local producers estimate farm losses at about 50 million dollars.
Hurricane Simon, now category 1, is linked to the death of a 71-year-old man in Chilpancingo, and at least seven ports were closed on Wednesday, 14 October.
Authorities raised the death toll from Tropical Storm Rachel in Ensenada, Baja California, to eight on Wednesday, 14 October, and four of the dead are minors. Five of the eight deaths belong to one family from Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora. Commander Daniel Gallegos of the Second Military Zone confirmed the count at a press conference and gave the following statement on the operation:
“All of our resources are focused on search and rescue work.”
Reported figures for people still missing vary, with counts of two, four, and four out of 13 reported missing, so the number is not settled. Baja California governor Marina del Pilar Ávila offered condolences for what she called irreparable losses.
Rain from Rachel began to fall on the night of Saturday, 10 October, and the heaviest impact came on Sunday, 11 October, when the state security cabinet met. State security secretary Laureano Carrillo identified three critical zones: Rancho Génesis, Rancho San Francisquito and Arroyo el Pípila, where the largest number of people went missing. Rancho Génesis, a community about 30 kilometres south of Ensenada, was cut off, and an air operation on Monday, 12 October brought out 32 civilians, 22 of them foreigners and 10 Mexicans. President Claudia Sheinbaum instructed the armed forces that day to maintain surveillance and assistance in the zone. Authorities activated six shelters, four in San Quintín and two in Ensenada. Personnel figures vary, from more than 3,500 to 3,560, across military, naval, state police and civil protection forces. Gallegos described the air operation at Rancho Génesis in these words:
“It was a successful operation, despite adverse weather conditions.”
The state Welfare Secretariat reported structural damage to at least 370 homes in Ensenada and 258 in San Quintín after the weekend rains. Local producers put preliminary losses at about 50 million dollars (44 million euros). The losses cover flooded warehouses, destroyed greenhouses, lost cultivated plots and hundreds of dead livestock. The farm estimate comes from local producers, not from an official assessment.
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Simon reached category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 240 km/h and gusts up to 290 km/h, before weakening to category 1. The US National Hurricane Center expected the storm to run along Mexico's west coast without making landfall. In Chilpancingo, Guerrero, a 71-year-old man died after a wall collapsed, according to Guerrero governor Evelyn Salgado. A cliff diver also died in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, after jumping into the water. On Wednesday, 14 October, at least seven ports were closed in Baja California Sur, Sinaloa and Nayarit.
Search operations continue in Baja California, where the number of people still unaccounted for remains disputed between reports. The National Hurricane Center is also tracking Trudy, a tropical storm that could strengthen into a hurricane and approach Mexico's southeast coast on Saturday, 17 October. Mexico's hurricane season runs from May to November, and this year it is stronger because of El Niño. That phenomenon recurs every two to seven years, raises Pacific sea temperatures and makes the cyclone season more intense in the region.
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Mexican authorities raised the death toll from Tropical Storm Rachel in Baja California to eight on Wednesday, 14 October, while search teams kept looking for missing people in Ensenada and San Quintín.
AI text based on reports by europa press, BFMTV, in.gr and other publishers. Changed .