Tornado kills 13, injures over 300 persons, and several missing in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico

By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

An early morning F-3 tornado on Monday, May 25, 2015, wrecked havoc and devastation on a densely populated area of the U.S.-Mexico border community of Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico, killing 13 persons to date, injuring over 300 persons, and several persons remain missing, including a baby ripped out of his car seat inside his parents automobile at approximately 6 A.M. on May 25th.

The fierce F-3 tornado surprised people who were still asleep while others were just waking up to go to work and school in this fair U.S.-Mexico border city on the Rio Grande River. The deadly tornado’s force lifted and tossed automobiles and school and work buses like toys over a quarter of a mile from their original location and pried open the roofs of over 200 homes like sardine roll top cans causing many injuries to the people taking shelter inside these homes. Family members desperately sought to locate their loved ones who were lifted and injured by the strong winds of the tornado.

State of Coahuila Governor Ruben Moreira Valdes has declared a state of emergency and the Mexican-equivalent of the American FEMA, Proteccion Civil de Mexico, immediately sent catastrophic teams from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and Mexico City to assist the hundreds of injured persons, including medical emergency teams.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto personally visited and toured the catastrophe wreaked upon Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila and promised the citizens of Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila to utilize all the resources available to the Mexican federal government to provide them with aid and reestablish their community.

The City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, just 55 miles south of Ciudad Acuna, has sent medical teams of doctors to assess and treat the injured persons and emergency and flooding supplies for the people impacted by the catastrophe.

The State of Coahuila Education Secretary cancelled school classes.

The deadly F-3 tornado was video recorded by eyewitnesses across the U.S.-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas . According to authorities, the tornado touched ground for approximately six minutes in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, leaving a path of destruction and death in this once tranquil U.S.-Mexico border city.

This is the first tornado to have hit Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila since its founding over 100 years ago.