Two more rivers disappear overnight in Mexico

The Tliapa and Tlacuapa are two other rivers that dried up overnight in Mexico, following the disappearance of the Atoyac River in late February.

The river dried up after a sinkhole appeared. Photo: Mysterious Universe.

According to the Herald Tribune, the Tliapa and Tlacuapa rivers flow from the mountains in central Veracruz state at the cities of Chocaman and Calcahualco, for about 18 kilometers. They used to flow into the Seco River in the center of Cordoba before sinkholes appeared and nearly drained the rivers.

The first sinkhole opened in the Puente de Piedra area, upstream of where the two rivers converge. A second sinkhole opened a kilometer away and is continuing to suck water from the river. “The current flow of the Tliapa and Tlacuapa rivers has been reduced by half,” said Tobias Carrillo Morales, emergency manager in the nearby town of Tomatlan.

Although the two rivers are relatively small, the rapid loss of water overnight has become a serious problem for local residents and wildlife. This is the second dry river to hit Veracruz in less than two months.

Earlier, on February 28, residents of San Fermin heard a loud explosion and felt the ground shake. The next morning, they discovered that the Atoyac River had been swallowed by a 30-meter-long, 20-meter-wide crack in its middle. According to Mexico's National Water Commission, the river flowed again after the crack was filled, but the conditions for other sinkholes to appear were fully met.

The Tliapa and Tlacuapa rivers are about 60 kilometers from the Atoyac, and the official report did not specify the type of hole or fissure that drained the river. "Farmers are very concerned about the water loss because the water levels are very low," Morales said.

According to VNE