Floods kill 17, most of them infected with coronavirus, in a Mexican hospital

MEXICO CITY: Massive floods have killed 17 people, most of them infected with the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19), in a hospital in the central state of Hidalgo, after heavy rains caused the Tula River to overflow, Mexican authorities said.

The government said in a statement that emergency service workers evacuated more than 40 other patients from the general hospital in the town of Tula, while an initial assessment showed that about 2,000 homes were damaged by the floods.

Hidalgo Governor Omar Fayyad told local media that 15 or 16 of the dead were COVID-19 patients.

Media said that the deaths occurred when torrential rains caused for days caused a power outage in the hospital.

Fayyad posted pictures on social media showing nurses pushing medical beds out of the hospital to take patients to safety.

Some nurses waded in water up to the knees.

Video footage showed patients on ventilators being transferred to speedboats.

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