MEXICO CITY/PUERTO ESCONDIDO (Reuters) -Hurricane Erick weakened after slamming into Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a major hurricane on Thursday, leaving a trail of damaged businesses, wrecked boats and flooded streets in the state of Oaxaca as authorities warned of risks from heavy rain.
Erick made landfall near the resort town Puerto Escondido around 5:30 a.m. local time (1130 GMT) as a Category 3 hurricane. It was later downgraded to Category 1 as it moved inland, with sustained winds slowing to 85 mph (137 kph).
In coastal towns, residents began clearing debris. "There are many boats sunk here," said fisherman Eduardo Gonzalez in Puerto Escondido. "We're here to help our colleagues."
Despite having weakened, officials cautioned that Erick's intense rains remained dangerous.
"Life-threatening flooding and mudslides are expected, especially in areas of steep terrain," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, forecasting up to 16 inches (41 cm) of rain for Oaxaca and neighboring Guerrero state.
Mexico's environment ministry also warned of waves of up to 10 meters (33 feet).
No deaths were immediately reported, Laura Velazquez, the head of Mexico's civil protection agency, said at a press conference.
Two hospitals had suffered damage and power supply was compromised, she added. State-owned utility CFE reported that more than 120,000 users had lost power in Oaxaca, with service restored to 26% by late morning.
Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara said roads and highways were significantly damaged.
Erick is the earliest major hurricane to make landfall in the eastern Pacific, meteorologists from AccuWeather said.
"Rapid intensification near coastal cities is a major concern this hurricane season...as water temperatures continue to increase," said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert.
Areas around Acapulco are especially vulnerable, AccuWeather said, as the beach town is still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Otis which hit in 2023.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Additional reporting by Jose Cortes in Puerto Escondido, Mexico; Editing by Himani Sarkar; Editing by Toby Chopra, Bernadette Baum, Andrea Ricci and Deepa Babington)
