14 Killed in Mexican Dam Bursts

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 16, 2002

14 Killed in Mexican Dam Bursts

Fourteen people were killed on Thursday as floodwaters swept through villages in central Mexico after two dams collapsed following heavy rain, federal officials reported.

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Fourteen people were killed on Thursday as floodwaters swept through villages in central Mexico after two dams collapsed following heavy rain, federal officials reported.

The broken dams, La Ventilla dam in the state of San Luis Potosi and El Capulin dam in the state of Zacatecas, are both located in a district normally bone-dry. The floodwaters destroyed several communities and affected more than 1,500 people in San Luis Potosi and 3,000 people in Zacatecas, who had to leave their homes and spend the night in emergency shelters set up by state and federal authorities.

A statement released Thursday by the Mexican Interior Ministry said the floodwaters killed 13 people in Villa de Reyes in San Luis Potosi and authorities were searching for 15 other people who remained missing. Meanwhile, state officials said one man drowned and two people were missing in the municipality of Villa Garcia in Zacatecas.

Officials said they were still assessing the damage late Thursday.

While forecasts predicted more rain across San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas for Thursday night and Friday, officials were worried that more precipitation could threaten other dams around the villages.

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