The mountains of the Sierra of the Mexican state of Hidalgo, known for their fog and coffee plantations, now “scream” the pain of families suffering the consequences of last week's torrential rains. What began as a storm turned into a tragedy marked by destruction, loss of life, and the destruction of homes and roads.

One of the tragedies recorded in the area is the one experienced by Clara Fortina Martinez, since in the early morning of October 9, her youngest son, Juan Carlos, only 27 years old, was buried under a landslide in the community of Madho, municipality of Tenango de Doria, after the heavy rains that lashed the state of Hidalgo.

Clara Fortina loses her youngest son

"When I turned around, I just heard an explosion, as if something had exploded; when I turned around, my children were no longer there. Everything that was left of the house was on the road, a pile of dirt, you could no longer see anything, whether it was a house or a road. My son was no longer there," said Mrs. Clara through tears, according to what was published by NMas.

Juan, The youngest of seven siblings, he had no wife or children, but he was his parents' breadwinner. That night he was helping his family evacuate their home, as the hills were beginning to crumble due to the incessant rain. "Let's make some food and then leave," he told his mother, but the young man never left. His brother Angel managed to save himself. He saw Juan try to run, but slipped. He saw him get trapped by a collapsing house. Then, everything was darkness and mud. "We ran, but he slipped. I saw him get stuck. The tile flew and hit me in the ribs. The mud dragged me," Angel recounted. Hours later, the family returned to look for Juan. They shouted his name, walked through mud and ruins. They found him lifeless, headless. It was their dog Galleta who gave them a clue: she found it a few miles ahead.

Between the mud, the wait and the oblivion

Juan's story is not the only one.In the coffee-growing community of El Nanhdo, in the municipality of San Bartolome, Librada San Agustin, 85, and her daughter Carolina San Juan were also victims of the landslides. They were crushed to death in their home when one of the five mudslides that hit the area swept away their house, reported NMas. Both were sleeping while other relatives went outside when they saw the rain intensify. They were unable to escape. "They are neighbors who saw us grow up. They lived here their whole lives," said Jesus Perez Velazco, a community delegate, sadly. For two days, neighbors tried to rescue the bodies with shovels and bare hands. It took 48 hours for the official machinery to arrive. It took a full day to remove the earth covering the women's remains.

Tragedy in Mexico

According to official figures, at least 21 people died in Hidalgo due to the rains, which caused:

But for the residents, it wasn't just nature. They report that there were no early warnings, no evacuations, and no Civil Protection presence in the most vulnerable communities. "There was no warning. It rained two nights and one day without stopping, and no one came," said Jesus Perez. The rains stopped, and families remain homeless and are demanding government assistance since they lost their homes and, in some cases, family members.