Sixteen die in Mexican landslides

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Landslides in north-western and central Mexico have killed at least 16 people, the authorities say.

Six people died in Puebla state when their cars were buried by a mudslide, apparently after the hillside had been weakened by the use of heavy machinery.

On Wednesday, heavy rain triggered a landslide that killed at least 10 people, mostly children, in a village in Durango state.

Rescue workers in both places are still searching for other possible victims.

Equipped with sniffer dogs, they have been working to dig more vehicles out of the mud.

Gravel extraction

Thursday's landslide in Puebla occurred on a highway between the capital, Mexico City, and the city of Tuxpan. It covered a number of vehicles, including two passenger buses.

At least 11 people were injured.

The state's Interior Secretary, Javier Lopez Avila, said that, in recent days, heavy machinery had been used on the site to extract gravel.

This he said, may have weakened the hillside and led to landslides as heavy rains pounded the area.

In the village of Chalchihuitillo, Durango, five members of one family were reported to have been killed after their home was buried by an avalanche of mud and rocks.

Five children - aged between five months and seven years - were killed in four other homes in the area, an official said.