MEXICO CITY — Torrential rains have forced Mexico City’s main airport to shut down flights for hours for the second consecutive day, stirring chaos in one of Latin America’s busiest airports.
The flight disruptions come as the Mexican capital experiences one of its heaviest rainy seasons in years, leading to constant flooding in other parts of the city.
After suspending all flights for at least four hours early Tuesday, aeronautic authorities said they were able to get one runway up and running, but that vast majority of them remained out of service.
Around 20,000 passengers were impacted by flight cancellations, delays and rerouting, according to airport authorities.
Passengers have reported numerous cancellations and delays this week as heavy rains continue to fall on the Mexican capital.
Alicia Nicanor, 69, said her Sunday flight to the northern city of Tijuana was cancelled and when she returned Tuesday morning for her early morning flight, it was also cancelled.
“I told them I have to go, because I have an important appointment with my doctor, but they didn’t listen,” she said.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said that heavy rains on Sunday flooded the city’s main plaza, known as the Zócalo, with more than 3 inches, much of which poured down in just 20 minutes. It broke a record set in 1952.
Meanwhile, videos from the city’s south show floating cars on flooded streets turned into flowing rivers, even becoming the subject of internet memes.
The flooding has fueled criticism by some in the capital, who say they are a sign of larger infrastructure failures by the city’s government.
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