Storm Willa smashes ashore in Mexico but no deaths reported
It hit with winds of up to 195km/hour, thrashing buildings with rain in the coastal towns and resorts where thousands of people moved to safety
Mazatlan — Willa’s fierce winds eased as the storm barreled inland over Mexico early on Wednesday, unleashing heavy rains after causing power outages and toppling trees on the coast, though no deaths have been reported, officials and forecasters said. Willa smashed ashore in the north-western state of Sinaloa late on Tuesday with winds of up to 195km/hour, thrashing buildings with rain in the coastal towns and resorts where thousands of people moved to safety. “The population took cover in time,” said Luis Felipe Puente, head of the country’s civil protection agency, adding that no deaths had been reported going into Wednesday. Willa was one of the most powerful storms to hit Mexico from the Pacific in recent years, striking the coast near the town of Isla del Bosque as a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. “It was really strong,” said Cecilia Crespo, a police spokesperson in Escuinapa, a seaside town near where the storm ploughed inland. “It knocked down tre...
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