MEXICO CITY, October 17. /TASS/. The death toll from torrential rains and subsequent floods in Mexico has climbed to 72, the government said.

The biggest number of deaths - 32 - was reported from the state of Veracruz in eastern Mexico. Twenty-one people died in the state of Hidalgo. The calamity claimed 18 lives in the state of Puebla, and one - in Queretaro. Forty-eight people are still missing.

Heavy rains hit a number of Mexican regions from October 6 to 9, making rivers and creeks to burst their banks.