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| Hurricane pushes into Mexico gulf | Hurricane pushes into Mexico gulf |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Hurricane Dean has moved offshore after lashing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Belize, toppling trees and houses and bringing torrential rain. | Hurricane Dean has moved offshore after lashing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Belize, toppling trees and houses and bringing torrential rain. |
| Major tourist resorts were not directly hit, as the storm made landfall about 170 miles (270km) south of Cancun. There are no reports of deaths so far. | Major tourist resorts were not directly hit, as the storm made landfall about 170 miles (270km) south of Cancun. There are no reports of deaths so far. |
| Dean was a Category Five hurricane, the highest level, when it made landfall, but later weakened to Category One. | Dean was a Category Five hurricane, the highest level, when it made landfall, but later weakened to Category One. |
| It should strengthen as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico to make landfall again. | It should strengthen as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico to make landfall again. |
| At 2100 GMT, Dean was moving north-west across the Bay of Campeche with winds of 80mph (130km/h). | At 2100 GMT, Dean was moving north-west across the Bay of Campeche with winds of 80mph (130km/h). |
| It is expected to hit Mexico again at about 1300 (1800 GMT) on Wednesday between Veracruz and Tampico. | It is expected to hit Mexico again at about 1300 (1800 GMT) on Wednesday between Veracruz and Tampico. |
| 'On guard' | 'On guard' |
| US National Hurricane Center (UHC) spokesman Jamie Rhome warned residents not to let their guard down before Dean's return. | US National Hurricane Center (UHC) spokesman Jamie Rhome warned residents not to let their guard down before Dean's return. |
| In pictures: Mexico deluged Relief in Cancun | In pictures: Mexico deluged Relief in Cancun |
| "We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that," he told Associated Press news agency. | "We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that," he told Associated Press news agency. |
| The eye of the storm came ashore over the Yucatan Peninsula at 0330 (0830 GMT) in a sparsely populated area near the town of Majahual. | |
| It lashed low-lying communities and ancient Maya ruins, but officials from Mexico's National Anthropology and History Institute told the Associated Press news agency that none of the archaeological sites in Quintana Roo and Yucatan were damaged. | |
| The BBC's Heather Alexander in the resort of Cancun further north says people there are breathing a sigh of relief, but the worst-affected areas are poor and remote and the extent of the damage is not yet clear. | The BBC's Heather Alexander in the resort of Cancun further north says people there are breathing a sigh of relief, but the worst-affected areas are poor and remote and the extent of the damage is not yet clear. |
| Andrea Montalvo, of the US-based Spanish-language Telemundo television network, said the storm was wreaking havoc in the town of Chetumal, to the east of Majahual. | Andrea Montalvo, of the US-based Spanish-language Telemundo television network, said the storm was wreaking havoc in the town of Chetumal, to the east of Majahual. |
| "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. |
| "If this is how it is here in this hotel, which is pretty solid, I don't want to think about how it is there." | "If this is how it is here in this hotel, which is pretty solid, I don't want to think about how it is there." |
| View path of Hurricane Dean in more detailEnlarge Image | View path of Hurricane Dean in more detailEnlarge Image |
| City officials said there were power cuts as the wind knocked over trees and sent debris flying through the air. | City officials said there were power cuts as the wind knocked over trees and sent debris flying through the air. |
| Further south, most of Belize was without power. Officials in Belize City closed hospitals and urged people to head inland, saying the town's shelters were not strong enough. | Further south, most of Belize was without power. Officials in Belize City closed hospitals and urged people to head inland, saying the town's shelters were not strong enough. |
| Mexican President Felipe Calderon, attending a trade summit in Canada, said he would return home on Tuesday and visit affected areas. | Mexican President Felipe Calderon, attending a trade summit in Canada, said he would return home on Tuesday and visit affected areas. |
| US President George W Bush offered aid to help hurricane victims, saying: "We stand ready to help". | US President George W Bush offered aid to help hurricane victims, saying: "We stand ready to help". |
| "The American people care a lot about the human condition in our neighbourhood, and when we see human suffering we want to do what we can," he said. | "The American people care a lot about the human condition in our neighbourhood, and when we see human suffering we want to do what we can," he said. |
| Fleeing the storm | Fleeing the storm |
| The hurricane has already claimed at least 11 lives in the eastern Caribbean. | The hurricane has already claimed at least 11 lives in the eastern Caribbean. |
| How hurricanes are tracked Dean's path of destruction Send us your comments About two-thirds of the tourists in Cancun and other resorts left the area before Dean's arrival. | How hurricanes are tracked Dean's path of destruction Send us your comments About two-thirds of the tourists in Cancun and other resorts left the area before Dean's arrival. |
| Mexico's state-oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, evacuated workers and shut down production on its offshore rigs in the Bay of Campeche. | Mexico's state-oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, evacuated workers and shut down production on its offshore rigs in the Bay of Campeche. |
| 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. |
| Dean is the third strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since records began in the 1850s. | Dean is the third strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since records began in the 1850s. |
| Are you in the Caribbean? Have you been affected by Hurricane Dean or are you preparing for it to pass? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. If you have any pictures you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk. | Are you in the Caribbean? Have you been affected by Hurricane Dean or are you preparing for it to pass? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. If you have any pictures you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk. |
| At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
| Find out more about how to send your pictures and to read terms and conditions | Find out more about how to send your pictures and to read terms and conditions |