Central Mexican state reels from devastation days after severe flooding

Two tropical storms unleashed torrential rains and triggered landslides earlier this month in Mexico, wiping out homes and roads and causing heavy economic losses to local farmers.

The central state of Hidalgo was among the hardest-hit regions by flooding, where devastation has been widespread.

In one local home, water lines reaching half a meter high still line the walls, showing just how deep the water rose.

"It rained for about five hours straight. The water rushed into my home. The mattress was soaked, the refrigerator wrecked, and we had to throw away many clothes," said Maria, a local resident.

Multiple roads leading to the state are strewn with rocks, fallen tree branches, and piles of mud. Floods and landslides destroyed sections of highways and rural roads, cutting around 300 towns off from the outside world at one point.

Local rivers are also swollen with fast-flowing floodwater, as local meteorological authorities warned of more rainfall and flood damage.

"We're still very worried, because water continues to flow down. We cannot say anything for sure now, because we don't know whether there would be more flooding, or whether our homes would get flooded again," said another resident.

The floods have also damaged upwards of 20,000 hectares of farmland.

"We planted corn, pumpkins and walnuts over there, but now everything is gone. This year's harvest is completely lost," said Lucia, a farmer.

"The water is still in the fields. The farmers' loss is huge," said another farmer.

Rescue operations are still ongoing, with Mexican Navy units deployed to disaster zones. The government says 93 percent of power has been restored, and emergency teams are making initial progress in repairing roads, bridges, and communications.

The death toll related to the storms have so far risen to 70, with 72 others still missing since Oct 9, Mexico's Civil Protection agency said on Thursday.

Central Mexican state reels from devastation days after severe flooding

Central Mexican state reels from devastation days after severe flooding

Central Mexican state reels from devastation days after severe flooding

The two-day 2025 Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Conference concluded on Friday in Shanghai, where multiple globally leading "China solutions" took center stage.

Under the theme "Brain connects the world, wisdom gathers in Shanghai," the event gathered research teams from major universities, leading industry developers, and experts across the BCI sector to strengthen the connection between research, application, and policy.

As part of the event, the first BCI competition featured four categories—fatigue detection, emotion recognition, brain-controlled robotic cars, and brain-controlled robotic arms - with 40 out of nearly 100 teams from across China received prizes.

In the BCI Industry Innovation Exhibition Zone, more than a dozen frontier-tech companies presented cutting-edge technologies ranging from key components to comprehensive system-level solutions.

Exhibits spanned the entire technology chain, from underlying hardware to clinical applications, covering fields such as sleep intervention, mental illness treatment, and rehabilitation for degenerative diseases—highlighting the latest trends in BCI development.

"We completed the first domestic clinical trial this March, and next year we will launch large-scale clinical trials," said an exhibitor named Chen Yaoxu.

Shanghai has established China's first future industry cluster dedicated to BCI technologies. During the conference, several new innovation platforms—including a BCI service platform and a joint laboratory for digital neuromedicine - were inaugurated.

"We are guided by clinical needs and clinical scenarios. At the same time, we are opening high-quality EEG datasets for enterprises to support their algorithm research and guide them in developing concrete products that truly address real-world needs," said Wang Zhuoyao, BCI Project manager of Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

Shanghai conference highlights China's cutting-edge brain-computer interface innovations