Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Up to 1,000 people may have been trapped by a landslide in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca, Gov. Ulises Ruiz said Tuesday morning.
A hill about 650 feet wide (200 meters) collapsed early Tuesday, sending tons of mud over as many as 300 houses, Ruiz told CNN affiliate Televisa.
The government-run Notimex news agency reported that nearly 50 homes in the Santa Maria Tlahuiltotepec municipality were buried by the landslide, according to the State Civil Protection Institute.
Rescue officials, heavy machinery and police and military authorities were on their way to the scene, Ruiz said.
"We expect to get there in time to rescue these people," he said.
Ruiz said several rivers have overflowed their banks due to heavy rain in the area and many roads are blocked by landslides, making it difficult for rescuers to reach the affected areas.
CNN
