Mexico looks for missing people and rushes to help after torrential rains killed at least 47

POZA RICA, Mexico (AP) — The death toll from Mexico’s torrential rains rose to 47 on Sunday as the fallout mounted from flooding and landslides in different states around the country, as the authorities were rushing to help affected residents, look for missing people and try to clean several areas.

Days after heavy rains drenched several parts of Mexico, the country saw over the weekend the extension of devastation in some states, where the flooding swept away vehicles and destroyed houses and roads.

President Claudia Sheinbaum traveled to some of the states and said the government will begin a census among affected people to distribute aid.

Mexico's Civil Protection agency said as of Sunday night, the heavy rains had killed 18 people in Veracruz state on the Gulf Coast and 16 people in Hidalgo state, north of Mexico City. At least 12 people were killed in Puebla, east of Mexico City. Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child died being caught in a landslide.

That toll could still rise as rescue workers continued to dig through sodden villages clogged with mud and debris on Sunday.

Civil Protection said at least 38 people were missing in three different states.

Authorities have attributed the deadly downpours to two tropical systems that formed off the western coast of Mexico and have since dissipated, Hurricane Pricilla and Tropical Storm Raymond.

In Veracruz and Puebla, hundreds of army personnel, police officers and firefighters conducted rescue operations and set up temporary shelters where stranded residents could find food and medical attention. Thousands of residents across the country were still struggling with a lack of running water and electricity.

“There are still various communities in Veracruz that find themselves cut off that fortunately today they were able to establish air bridges to be able to take food, water and attend to any sick people,” Sheinbaum said on a visit to Veracruz Sunday. “We know that there is a lot of desperation and worry. We’re going to get to everyone.”

Parts of Veracruz state received some 21 inches (54 centimeters) of rain from Oct. 6 to 9.

In Poza Rica, an oil town 170 miles (275 kilometers) northeast of Mexico City, where Sheinbaum spoke with residents in muddy streets, some low-lying neighborhoods saw 12 feet of water or more when the Cazones River jumped its banks Friday.

A Marine helps a woman cross a flooded street in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Damaged vehicles sit in mud after flooding in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A local holds a rescued cat in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after rain and flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Locals embrace outside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after widespread flooding and landslides. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A pickup truck hangs over a fence in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after rain and flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Relatives of Gustavo Azuara, who died during a flood, stand outside their damaged house after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Neighbors gather around a damaged house after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause new California laws expected to require thousands of companies to report emissions and climate-risk information.

The laws are the most sweeping of their kind in the nation, and a collection of business groups argued in an emergency appeal that they violate free-speech rights.

The measures were signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023, and reporting requirements are expected to start early next year.

Lower courts have so far refused to block the laws, which the state says will increase transparency and encourage companies to assess how they can cut their emissions.

The Chamber of Commerce asked the justices to put the laws on hold while lawsuits continue to play out.

One requires businesses that make more than $1 billion a year and operate in California to annually report their direct and indirect carbon emissions, beginning in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

That includes planet-warming pollution from burning fossil fuels directly, as well as releases from activities such as delivering products from warehouses to stores and employee business travel. The Chamber of Commerce estimates it will affect about 5,000 companies, though state air regulators say it will apply to roughly 2,600.

The other law requires companies that make more than $500,000 a year to biennially disclose how climate change could hurt them financially. The state Air Resources Board estimates more than 4,100 companies will have to comply.

“Without this Court’s immediate intervention, California’s unconstitutional efforts to slant public debate through compelled speech will take effect and inflict irreparable harm on thousands of companies across the country,” the companies argued.

Companies that fail to publish could be subject to civil penalties. ExxonMobil also challenged the laws in a lawsuit filed last month.

The state has argued that the laws don’t violate the First Amendment because commercial speech isn’t protected the same way under the Constitution.

In 2023, Newsom called the emissions-disclosure law an important policy and of the state's “bold responses to the climate crisis, turning information transparency into climate action.” The environmental group Ceres has said the information will help people decide whether to support the businesses.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule last year requiring some public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, but the agency paused the regulation amid litigation.

The conservative-majority Supreme Court has cast a skeptical eye on some environmental regulations in recent years, including a landmark decision that limited the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in 2022, and another that halted the agency’s air-pollution-fighting “good neighbor” rule.

Austin reported from Sacramento.

A pedestrian with an umbrella walks on a bridge over the rain-soaked 110 Freeway in Los Angeles Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A pedestrian with an umbrella walks on a bridge over the rain-soaked 110 Freeway in Los Angeles Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)