The stench of decay extends miles beyond Poza Rica in one of the regions most devastated by last week's torrential rains that inundated central and eastern Mexico. By Wednesday, the official death toll had reached 66, with the number of missing people increasing to 75. Nearly 200 communities remain isolated predominantly in Hidalgo's central mountainous region, where persistent cloud cover has hindered helicopter access. A persistent dust cloud hangs over the main avenue of Poza Rica, a gulf-adjacent oil-producing city, where soldiers laboured continuously.