Hundreds of people are feared dead in a rural Mexican community after a Tuesday morning landslide buried as many as 300 homes.

The landslide happened in the state of Oaxaca, about 130 miles from Mexico City.

Heavy rains and flooding caused by Hurricane Karl and Tropical Storm Matthew are making it difficult for rescuers to reach the victims.

"There has been lots of rain, rivers have overflowed and we're having a hard time reaching the area because there are landslides on the roads,"

Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz said.

A local government official reached by satellite phone says at least 500 people are still missing so the search for survivors continues.

"We have been using a backhoe but there is a lot of mud. We can't even see the homes, we can't hear shouts, we can't hear anything," local official Donato Vargas said.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon offered his condolences to the victims' families.