At least 17 patients have been killed after heavy rainfall caused flooding at a hospital in Mexico's central Hidalgo state, officials say.

They say a river burst its banks and water then cut the power supply at the hospital in the town of Tula.

Some of the victims were Covid-19 patients who were being treated with oxygen therapy, local media report.

Rescuers evacuated about 40 patients. Meanwhile, a boat transporting the state governor sank in the river.

Omar Fayad later tweeted that he was "safe and sound", adding that the state authorities would continue co-ordinating emergency operations in the affected areas.

The army was deployed to provide assistance to rescue teams dealing with the disaster.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he was "very saddened" by the hospital deaths.

He urged residents of low-lying areas to move to shelters or stay with relatives or friends in safer places.

More than 30,000 people in towns across the state have been affected by the floods.

Separately, two people died after flooding in Ecatepec, a northern suburb of Mexico City, the authorities said.

(Courtesy, BBC: Excluding headline)

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