Hurricane Barbara slams Mexico, at least two dead

30 MAY 2013, 6:07 PM   -   SOURCE: AFP

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Hurricane Barbara has made landfall in Mexico's southern Pacific coast, leaving at least two dead, including a 61-year-old US surfer who drowned in rough seas, authorities said.

Hurricane Barbara has made landfall in Mexico's southern Pacific coast, leaving at least two dead, including a 61-year-old US surfer who drowned in rough seas, authorities said.

Twelve Mexican fishermen who went out to sea Monday night, before word of the approaching bad weather came in, are missing, said a local mayor.

The storm was later downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 75km/h as of late Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Center said.

It had made landfall in the state of Chiapas, a rural region with archaeological sites near the neighbouring state of Oaxaca. Hundreds of people were being evacuated from affected areas in Chiapas, state civil protection officials said.

The US man "was dragged by the waves and died" after he ignored a ban on entering the beach in the town of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca, said state civil protection director Manuel Maza.

The second victim was a 27-year-old man who was swept away by an overflowing river in the Oaxaca town of Pinotepa Nacional, Mayor Carlos Sarabia said.

In the state of Guerrero, heavy rains flooded some streets of the resort city of Acapulco, with water levels reaching 52cm and sweeping away at least three cars. Oaxaca authorities had urged residents to stay home, while the ports of Salina Cruz, Huatulco, Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido were shut down.

Some 200 families were taken to shelters, officials said.

Barbara grew into a category one hurricane - the lowest on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale - before making landfall west of the Chiapas town of Tonala, the US hurricane centre said. Late Wednesday the storm was moving north at 15km/h, the US hurricane centre said. Tropical force winds extend outward up to 75km from the storm's centre.

Barbara was forecast to dump up to 25cm of rain over eastern Oaxaca and western Chiapas, with as much as 50cm possibly falling in isolated areas of southeastern Oaxaca, the centre said.

"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," it warned. In March 2012, two girls died and 25,000 homes were affected when Hurricane Carlotta tore across Oaxaca.