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Mexico: Hurricane "Agatha" - at least three people die from landslides

5/31/2022, 10:50:13 PM


The storm's strength was unusual for May: "Agatha" caused flooding and landslides on the Mexican Pacific coast. Three people were killed and several are missing.

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Fallen trees lie on a road in Agua Blanca, Oaxaca state

Photo: Daniel Ricardez/EPA

Hurricane Agatha wreaked havoc in Mexico.

At least three people died.

As the first hurricane of the season, the unusually strong storm made landfall on Monday near several beach resorts on Mexico's Pacific coast.

According to the authorities, it caused flooding and landslides.

Two people died in the community of Santa Catarina Xanaguia in the hardest-hit state of Oaxaca.

"They were buried between rocks and mud," a civil defense spokesman told Reuters.

A woman was caught in a landslide in the town of San Mateo Piñas.

According to the authorities, there are still several missing.

Heavy rain in southeastern Mexico

With wind speeds of up to 165 kilometers per hour, "Agatha" was a category two (of five) hurricane, according to the US hurricane center NHC, the strongest storm since records began in 1949, which made landfall on the Mexican Pacific coast in May met.

As a result, "Agatha" moved inland and lost strength in the process.

On Tuesday, the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression and dissipated.

Nevertheless, it continued to rain heavily in southeastern Mexico.

According to the state electricity provider CFE, a good 70,000 connections were temporarily out of power.

The hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30 in the Pacific and June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic.

According to experts, climate change is likely to cause tropical cyclones to become more intense.

bbr/dpa/Reuters