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| Hurricane Dean hits Mexico coast | Hurricane Dean hits Mexico coast |
| (2 days later) | |
| Hurricane Dean has struck Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula near the border with Belize, bringing driving winds and lashing rain. | Hurricane Dean has struck Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula near the border with Belize, bringing driving winds and lashing rain. |
| Cancun and other tourist resorts were spared a direct hit as the storm came ashore at 0330 (0830 GMT) about 40 miles (65km) north-east of Chetumal. | Cancun and other tourist resorts were spared a direct hit as the storm came ashore at 0330 (0830 GMT) about 40 miles (65km) north-east of Chetumal. |
| The storm has weakened to Category Three, with winds of 125mph (205km/h) as it crosses land. | The storm has weakened to Category Three, with winds of 125mph (205km/h) as it crosses land. |
| It could strengthen when it hits sea again after crossing the Yucatan. | It could strengthen when it hits sea again after crossing the Yucatan. |
| The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida said the eye of the storm had made landfall near the town of Majahual. | The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida said the eye of the storm had made landfall near the town of Majahual. |
| At 1200 GMT the centre of the storm had moved inland about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Chetumal, travelling west at about 20mph (62km/h). | At 1200 GMT the centre of the storm had moved inland about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Chetumal, travelling west at about 20mph (62km/h). |
| 'Windows shattered' | 'Windows shattered' |
| Last-minute evacuations took place along the coast as Dean was expected to bring a heavy flood surge. | Last-minute evacuations took place along the coast as Dean was expected to bring a heavy flood surge. |
| View path of Hurricane Dean in more detailEnlarge Map | View path of Hurricane Dean in more detailEnlarge Map |
| The NHC said the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize as well as Guatemala and northern Honduras could expect heavy rainfall which could cause flash floods and landslides. | The NHC said the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize as well as Guatemala and northern Honduras could expect heavy rainfall which could cause flash floods and landslides. |
| Tens of thousands of tourists have been evacuated from resorts in the Yucatan but many others are still there, huddling in shelters. | Tens of thousands of tourists have been evacuated from resorts in the Yucatan but many others are still there, huddling in shelters. |
| The resorts have been boarded up and offshore oil facilities are closed but there is concern for residents of poor communities living in flimsy homes. | The resorts have been boarded up and offshore oil facilities are closed but there is concern for residents of poor communities living in flimsy homes. |
| Andrea Montalvo, of the US-based Spanish-language Telemundo television network, said the storm was wreaking havoc in the Mexican city of Chetumal. | Andrea Montalvo, of the US-based Spanish-language Telemundo television network, said the storm was wreaking havoc in the Mexican city of Chetumal. |
| "Inside the hotel it is really bad, every 10 or 15 minutes you can hear windows shattering and people are coming out of their rooms in panic," she said. | "Inside the hotel it is really bad, every 10 or 15 minutes you can hear windows shattering and people are coming out of their rooms in panic," she said. |
| Send us your comments | Send us your comments |
| City officials said there were power outages as the wind knocked over trees and sent debris flying through the air. | City officials said there were power outages as the wind knocked over trees and sent debris flying through the air. |
| Ernesto Calzada from Quintana Roo radio and TV told the BBC: "I looked out of my office window and saw an enormous tree close by topple over." | Ernesto Calzada from Quintana Roo radio and TV told the BBC: "I looked out of my office window and saw an enormous tree close by topple over." |
| Further south, in Belize City, officials closed the hospitals and urged people to head inland, saying the town's shelters were not strong enough to withstand the hurricane. | Further south, in Belize City, officials closed the hospitals and urged people to head inland, saying the town's shelters were not strong enough to withstand the hurricane. |
| Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who is attending a trade summit in Canada, said that he would leave on Tuesday after a meeting with his US and Canadian counterparts. | Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who is attending a trade summit in Canada, said that he would leave on Tuesday after a meeting with his US and Canadian counterparts. |
| Looting fears | Looting fears |
| The hurricane has already claimed at least 11 lives in the eastern Caribbean, but largely spared the low-lying Cayman Islands on Monday. | The hurricane has already claimed at least 11 lives in the eastern Caribbean, but largely spared the low-lying Cayman Islands on Monday. |
| Jamaica was spared a direct hit but still badly damagedEnlarge Image | Jamaica was spared a direct hit but still badly damagedEnlarge Image |
| Cancun and other popular Mexican resorts are escaping a "direct hit" but that has not stopped around two-thirds of Cancun's tourists leaving the area. | Cancun and other popular Mexican resorts are escaping a "direct hit" but that has not stopped around two-thirds of Cancun's tourists leaving the area. |
| Some holidaymakers camped overnight at Cancun's airport to find a flight while others were turned away. | Some holidaymakers camped overnight at Cancun's airport to find a flight while others were turned away. |
| Police officers have been deployed to prevent looting while residents boarded up their homes ahead of the storm. | Police officers have been deployed to prevent looting while residents boarded up their homes ahead of the storm. |
| Mexico's state-oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, has evacuated its workers and shut down production on the offshore rigs. | Mexico's state-oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, has evacuated its workers and shut down production on the offshore rigs. |
| The hurricane is moving steadily west over the Yucatan and may regain strength when it hits sea again over the Bay of Campeche on Tuesday night, the NHC said. | The hurricane is moving steadily west over the Yucatan and may regain strength when it hits sea again over the Bay of Campeche on Tuesday night, the NHC said. |
| How hurricanes are tracked Dean's path of destruction | How hurricanes are tracked Dean's path of destruction |
| It is due to hit Mexico's coast for a second time near Tampico in the state of Veracruz. | It is due to hit Mexico's coast for a second time near Tampico in the state of Veracruz. |
| Dean is expected to be less damaging than the Category Five Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which lingered over the Yucatan for a day, killing 10 people and wrecking large areas of Cancun. | Dean is expected to be less damaging than the Category Five Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which lingered over the Yucatan for a day, killing 10 people and wrecking large areas of Cancun. |
| Category Five storms are rare - only three have hit the US since record-keeping began. | Category Five storms are rare - only three have hit the US since record-keeping began. |
| In the US, the return of the space shuttle Endeavour was brought forward by a day, to Tuesday, in an attempt to beat the hurricane should it eventually reach Texas, where Nasa's mission control is based. | In the US, the return of the space shuttle Endeavour was brought forward by a day, to Tuesday, in an attempt to beat the hurricane should it eventually reach Texas, where Nasa's mission control is based. |
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