Mexico flood toll rises to 76, many still missing

Mexico's government said Monday that 76 people had died in catastrophic floods and mudslides that hit the country's center and east this month, with another 27 still officially listed as missing.

Nearly 120 communities remained isolated with roads and highways blocked or destroyed, according to a report presented during a press conference by President Claudia Sheinbaum.

"The emergency response... is not over yet; we are still working," Sheinbaum told reporters, and announced aid totaling 10 billion pesos (about $544 million) for some 100,000 families affected by the calamity.

The central state of Hidalgo had the most blocked off municipalities at 65, many of them in mountainous regions where access routes were damaged by landslides.

Veracruz, along the Gulf of Mexico in the country's east, was in turn hardest hit by flooding.

More than 12,700 soldiers are still on the ground to deliver aid and otherwise assist affected communities, the government said.

Heavy rains often occur during Mexico's wet season from May to October, but last week's downpours were made more dangerous by the combination of a tropical system from the Gulf of Mexico and a cold front from the north, according to meteorologists.