Hurricane Bonnie steams west off Mexico’s Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Bonnie strengthened and moved roughly parallel to Mexico’s Pacific coast Monday, after crossing over Central America from the Caribbean and dropping heavy rain and contributing to two deaths.

Forecasters said they expected the hurricane to stay well out to sea and pose no threat to land as it moved generally westward off the coast of southern Mexico.

Bonnie had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) Monday afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was centered 210 miles (335 kilometers) south of Acapulco, Mexico, and moving to the west at 17 mph (28 kph).

But the storm left heavy flooding after crossing sodden Nicaragua over the weekend where it made landfall on the country’s Caribbean coast late Friday.

Two people were killed in separate events related to flooding, Nicaragua’s army said in a statement. It said 40-year-old Alberto Flores Landero died trying to cross the swollen Mati river in Siuna in Nicaragua’s northeast and Juan Carlos Alemán, 38, died trying to help passengers from a bus that fell into the Ali Bethel river in the same area.

Ad

The Family Ministry said it had distributed mattresses to families displaced by flooding in Rama, west of Bluefields. Images from the area showed water up to rooflines and people navigating streets in boats.