TIJUANA — Tijuana is on state of alert as the powerful storm hitting the area has caused widespread flooding and claimed the life of a girl.
Firefighters found the body of a 10-year-old girl who died Wednesday night after her family’s car became trapped in a rain-swollen creek.
The state Attorney General’s office said that at 8:49 p.m. Wednesday rescue personnel found the body alongside Paseo de la Montaña creek in the steep
Los Laureles shantytown.
She was identified as Aramí Muro Méndez, who had been traveling in a Honda Civic with family members, authorities said. On Thursday, firefighters
continued to search for two siblings.
Fire Capt. Carlos Carreño said fire department personnel and volunteers would likely break off their search because they had so many other emergency
calls but would resume as quickly as they could.
Earlier Thursday, a pregnant woman was reported to have drowned in the creek at Los Laureles, but Alfredo Escobedo, state civil protection director,
said later that the report is in error. He said the state office regrets that it released incorrect information.
The rain also led to the partial closing of the highways that connect Tijuana to Rosarito Beach and Tecate, flooding in the Rio Zone and downtown
commercial sectors and power outages across the region.
The state education system suspended classes at all levels until Monday and thousands of workers could not reach their jobs because of flooded
streets.
The National Defense Secretariat activated a plan that calls for military personnel to help local authorities evacuate families from high-risk areas.
The city’s emergency agency, Protección Civil, estimated that at least 3,000 homes were in high-risk areas.
The city’s family-protection agency said that as of noon Thursday, about 182 people had fled to shelters.
Tijuana Mayor Jorge Ramos said the city was on alert and urged to stay home and follow the recommendations of emergency personnel.Hook - 1-22-2010 at 07:45 PM
Not to make light of the tragedy, but it is rare when a car with occupants "became trapped" in a creek without an ignorant operator DRIVING INTO SAID
CREEK.
"Became trapped", indeed..................BajaNews - 1-23-2010 at 02:17 AM
Vista panorámica de la avenida Internacional donde se observa el río Tijuana desbordado del lado norteamericano. Foto: Omar Martínez
Mexicali & Tijuana
BajaNews - 1-23-2010 at 02:47 AM
SDRonni - 1-23-2010 at 05:39 AM
Has the toll road to Rosarito been reopened?capt. mike - 1-23-2010 at 11:47 AM
a tragedy, so sorry.
we had a 6 year old boy get swept away in the flooding here on thursday, they tried to cross a flooded wash trying to get him to a hospital on another
illness. the father got the wife and daughter out of the truck ok but lost the grip on his boy.
in AZ they have the "stupid" motorist law and if you try to cross a flooded wash that is signed as do not cross, and they have to rescue you - you pay
a fine and the cost of rescue.
you can't believe the number of people that get cited here each year plus get on TV showing their rescue, often by helocopter.
