11 killed, 33 missing after Hurricane Agatha makes landfall in Mexico

At least 11 people were killed and 33 were missing after Hurricane Agatha made landfall in the Mexican state of Oaxaca on Monday afternoon, media reports quoting governor of the state Alejandro Murat said.

Murat on Wednesday noted that the figures were preliminary, since Agatha was still a low pressure system.

"Today Oaxaca is in mourning," he said, adding that local authorities set up 240 shelters to assist people affected by the storm, particularly on the Pacific Coast and in the highlands, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, electricity was knocked out in nine municipalities, which affected over 40,000 people.

Laura Velazquez, National Coordinator of Civil Protection, explained that heavy rains led to landslides, fallen trees, overflowing rivers and the collapse of two bridges, Xinhua further reported.

 

Agatha is the first hurricane of the 2022 season, making landfall as a category 2 hurricane in Oaxaca before weakening.

CNN reported that the heaviest rain was set to fall in the state of Oaxaca, where up to 16 inches was forecast, with isolated areas of 20 inches possible.

Ahe remnants of

Agatha's remnants may contribute to the gradual development of a tropical system in the "far southwest Gulf of Mexico around mid-week or in the northwest Caribbean by the latter part of this week," according to the National Hurricane Center's Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook.

"Regardless of development, locally heavy rains will be possible across southern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, and Belize through the week," the center had said, as per CNN.

A slight risk of flooding is currently in place across extreme South Florida for Saturday, according to the Weather Prediction Center's (WPC) excessive rainfall outlook.

Gusty winds also could be a threat, the WPC said.