Tropical Storm Manuel edged onto Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday while Hurricane Ingrid swirled offshore on the other side of the country, as heavy rains and landslides caused at least 15 deaths and led authorities to evacuate thousands.
Stormy conditions led some communities in affected states to cancel Independence Day celebrations planned for Sunday and Monday.
ACAPULCO, MEXICO
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Manuel began to weaken as soon as it made landfall near the port of Manzanillo during the afternoon, but remained a threat to produce flash floods and mudslides. It was predicted to dissipate by Monday.
In the southern coastal state of Guerrero, six people died when their SUV lost control on a rain-swept highway headed for the tourist resort of Acapulco. Landslides killed two people in Guerrero, and the collapse of a fence killed one person in Acapulco.
Manuel had maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving to the northwest at 9 mph (15 kph) late Sunday afternoon. Its center was about 15 miles (20 kilometers) north of Manzanillo.
Rains from Ingrid caused landslides that killed three people in the central state of Puebla, and a woman died when a landslide buried her house in Hidalgo state.
In the southern state of Oaxaca, which was affected by both storms, authorities said a child died after being swept away by a swollen river and a teenager was killed by a landslide.
The hurricane center said Ingrid, the second hurricane of the Atlantic storm season, could reach the Mexican mainland early Monday after gathering strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It was packing top sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) as it slowly crawled toward land with little change in strength in hours.