A lightning strike during a religious celebration in Santiago Tlacotepec, Toluca, Estado de México, injured ten people, three of whom required hospital care for first- and second-degree burns. The incident took place around 2:30 p.m. near the Cerro de Santiago Tlacotepec, close to the Cristo de la Montaña church, where locals and visitors were gathered for the festivities.

Local police responded promptly after receiving the emergency call, coordinating with medical services to assist those affected by the electrical discharge. Four ambulances and a rescue unit from the Servicio de Urgencias del Estado de México (SUEM), along with a Red Cross ambulance, arrived on site to provide first aid and transport the injured.

This event adds to a troubling pattern of severe weather in the region. Between June 28 and July 11, heavy rains have caused nine fatalities across Puebla, Cuetzalan, and Santa Clara Ocoyucan—areas unaccustomed to such intense storms since 2014.

One particularly tragic case involved four members of the Peña family, who drowned after being swept away by currents while celebrating a birthday at the Chichicazapan grotto. Of the seven people on the outing, only three survived. Another deadly incident occurred on July 8 in Santa Clara Ocoyucan, where authorities recovered the bodies of Silvia Gracida Cid (36), Claudia Bonilla Sánchez (54), and Concepción Márquez (45).

The earliest reported death was on June 28, when Margarita Marín Sánchez (53) died after a tree fell on her vehicle on the Recta a Cholula, near 49 Sur in the La Paz neighborhood.

Beyond the human toll, the storms have caused widespread flooding, stranded vehicles, and trapped residents in Puebla’s capital. Rescue teams have been active across major thoroughfares including Bulevar 5 de Mayo, 2 Oriente, Bulevar Fidel Velázquez, and Calzada Zavaleta.

As these extreme weather events challenge infrastructure and safety, investments in resilient public transportation systems like Puebla’s upcoming cable car project could offer safer, more reliable mobility options during such crises—highlighting the importance of sustainable urban planning in vulnerable regions.