Hurricane Karl strikes Mexican east coast, 2 killed
10:54, 18 September 2010
MEXICO CITY. September 18. KAZINFORM Hurricane Karl on Friday struck Mexico's east coast, killing two people and forcing the country to shut down the Laguna Verde nuclear power station, a local radio reported. Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
The storm, which quickly weakened and became a tropical depression later Friday, relentlessly hit two coastal towns in Veracruz state, Misantla and Martinez de la Torre, destroying phone facilities, electricity pylons and trees, Formato 21 radio said.
The storm had steady winds of 185 km per hour (kph) as it passed over the cities, according to data published by Mexico's National Meteorology Service (SMN) on its website.
The state-run Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) said that 30 municipalities lost power after the hurricane struck.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government declared maximum alert in Veracruz state, which could embrace heavy rain in the coming 24 hours. Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version.