Hurricane Allen pounds Mexico

Press, 9 August 1980, Page 8

Hurricane Allen pounds Mexico

NZPA-Reuter Mexico Cityi Heavy rains and winds! lashed the Yucatan Peninsula yesterday as killer Hurricane Allen headed into the; Gulf of Merico after nar-[ rowly missing the luxury, Mexican resort of Isla Mujeres. When the hurricane looked at one point yester-i day like hitting the tip oti the Yucatan Peninsula, thou-[ [sands of people were eva-, cuated from low-lying coastal areas and about 3000 Marines placed on alert. Red Cross officials said no new casualty reports had been received yet. At least 31 people hape already been killed by Allen on its passage over Saint Lucia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.! Scores are said to have died! in Haiti, but communications! there are still poor. jl The Mexican Meteorolo-j gical Institute said the hurri-; cane was travelling at 25' km/h west-north-west witnil winds of up to 300 km/h. I If it continued in the same! direction, it would hit the;Mexican gulf state of Ta-| maulpias or Texas within; two to three days, a spokes-; man said. !■

i Air and sea traffic in the [Yucatan area were suspended yesterday and the .beaches of Cancun, Cozumel, i and Isla Mujeres, normally i bursting with tourists, were’ 'deserted as people stayed ini [their hotels.- _ I Oil workers in the Gulf of Mex’ico were also evacuated ; from offshore platforms. A ■ helicopter carrying oil I workers ashore crashed; all 113 aboard are believed to be, dead. , I The hurricane’s latest ca-i sualties were four Cubans, killed by electric shock as winds lashed high-voltage

cables. i The island escaped Xvith only light, damage because the hurricane’s eye passed south of the Cuban mainlands, but more than 260,000 people were still evacuated; from low-lying areas as a precaution. ! Hardest hit so far by the storm’s swathe of destruction across the Caribbean; has been Saint Lucia, where at least 16 people died and. the island’s banana crop was wiped out. The United States has already sent disaster; relief to St Lucia, Haiti, and Jamaica.