MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) — The Mexican government on Tuesday began sending emergency aid to the northern state of Chihuahua where the Tarahumara communities are suffering from severe food shortages, officials said on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Social Development (Sedesol) has begun the distribution of 14,000 food assistance packages through 104 indigenous shelters which are located across 23 municipalities in the state of Chihuahua. The communities located in the remote northern mountains are suffering from the effects of the country’s worst drought in 71 years and severe cold weather.

“We will continue distributing humanitarian aid throughout the affected area,” said Heriberto Félix Guerra, head of the Ministry of Social Development, adding that the situation is still serious because of food and water shortages.

The aid comes after a video posted on a social media website showed a local official from Carichí town. The official said 50 Tarahumara people had committed suicide after their crops failed, although this was later denied by the Chihuahua government.

However, Ignacio Leonel Varela Ortega, mayor of Carichí, told the Milenio newspaper that there is a serious food emergency in the region. He acknowledged that there have been three or four deaths attributed to diseases exacerbated by severe malnutrition.

Varela added that around 6,500 people, about 65 percent of the town’s population, are being affected. Residents have food for about a month, but Varela emphasized that his government is only prepared to deliver food packages every three months.

Collecting points have been established in certain cities across the country for citizens to drop off food supplies and clothing.