Mudslide kills 11 people in rain-hit Mexico

VALLE DE BRAVO : A mudslide in central Mexico has killed at least 11 people after days of heavy rain that had already caused flooding and fatalities elsewhere in the country.

The mudslide crushed several cars on a road near the small town of Temascaltepec on the route from the capital, Mexico City, to the popular weekend town of Valle de Bravo. Rescue workers at the scene said on Saturday they had dug out 11 bodies.

Police said it was likely several more people were still buried in their vehicles.

Torrential rain have been pounding much of Mexico for days, triggering mudslides in the western state of Michoacan that killed at least a dozen people, causing rivers to break their banks and setting off flooding in the capital and nearby states.

Valle de Bravo is a hilly cobblestone town set around a picturesque boating lake that is used by many Mexico City residents as a weekend getaway.

Snowstorm paralyses Washington DC,eastern US

WASHINGTON : The heaviest snowstorms for decades have struck the eastern US, paralyzing air and road transport, and bringing Washington DC to a standstill.

The storm knocked down power lines and left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity.

Nearly 2ft (60cm) of snow had fallen by noon on Saturday in cities across the region, the Associated Press reports.

The mayor of Washington DC, and the governors of Virginia and Maryland have declared states of emergency.

West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are also affected.

The National Weather Service declared a 24-hour blizzard warning for the Washington-Baltimore region until 2200 on Saturday (0300 GMT on Sunday).

Most flights from the Washington-Baltimore area's three main airports and Philadelphia International Airport have been cancelled.

Hundreds of car accidents were reported, including two fatalities – a father and son who died while helping another motorist in Virginia.

US national rail service Amtrak cancelled a number of trains between New York and Washington, and also between Washington and some southern destinations.

Local weather forecasters said the Washington area could see its heaviest snowfall in 90 years.

It comes less than two months after a December storm dumped more than 16in (41cm) of snow in Washington.

The usually traffic-heavy roads of the capital were deserted, while the city's famous sites and monuments were covered with snow.

The Washington Metro was operating only on underground lines, and bus services were cancelled.

US government offices in the Washington area closed four hours early on Friday, while the Smithsonian museums and National Zoo were closed on Saturday.

Debi Adkins, who lives just outside the city of Baltimore, told the media: "The snow started at 1130 yesterday morning and it just hasn't stopped... about 20 inches came overnight - and thunder and lightning.

"I'm not going anywhere - I couldn't if I wanted to. You just can't get your cars out. The front door of the building I live in is closed shut, so I just can't get out."

Ushaa Shyam Krishna in Chantilly, Virginia, said he - like many others - had stocked up on essential food items ahead of the storm.

"For the first few hours after the storm began, my daughter and I tried to shovel the snow, but now we have given up," he said.

"On Thursday the supermarkets were half empty - we went again yesterday and the shelves were totally empty."