Hurricane Grace Hits Mexico with Major Flooding, Eight Killed

After becoming one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit Mexico's Gulf coast in years, Hurricane Grace pounded the country with torrential rain on Saturday, producing devastating flooding and mudslides that killed at least eight people, according to authorities.

Grace was whipping up maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour (201 km per hour), a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, when it slammed into the coast near the resort of Tecolutla in Veracruz state in the early morning.

The state government said eight people were killed by Grace, including six from a single family. All but one of the victims died in the state capital Xalapa, including a young girl killed by a mudslide that hit her home.

Meanwhile, an adult was killed by a collapsed roof in the city of Poza Rica further north in the state, Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia told a news conference.

“The state of emergency has not ended,” he added.

Local television showed severe flooding in Xalapa, with coffins from a local business floating down a waterlogged street. The nearby River Actopan burst its banks, shutting down a local highway, state authorities said.

Grace also caused power cuts and brought down trees. Images posted on social media showed damage to buildings and cars submerged by the deluge of rain the storm brought.

Garcia said several rivers in Veracruz would flood, and urged the local population to take cover.