Hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers threatened Hurricane "Beryl" rages in Mexican vacation region
Hurricane Beryl has now also reached the Central American mainland.
Image: Ricardo Mazalan/AP
More than 300,000 vacationers are staying in the region.
Image: dpa
People seek shelter from Hurricane Beryl in emergency shelters.
Image: Felix Marquez/
Preparing for the arrival of hurricane "Beryl": people are taken to an emergency shelter by the National Guard.
Image: dpa
People on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula take precautions.
Image: Fernando Llano/AP
National Guard soldiers are on duty.
Image: dpa
Climate change increases the likelihood of strong storms.
Image: Leo Hudson/AP
Hurricane Beryl has now also reached the Central American mainland.
Image: Ricardo Mazalan/AP
More than 300,000 vacationers are staying in the region.
Image: dpa
People seek shelter from Hurricane Beryl in emergency shelters.
Image: Felix Marquez/
Preparing for the arrival of hurricane "Beryl": people are taken to an emergency shelter by the National Guard.
Image: dpa
People on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula take precautions.
Image: Fernando Llano/AP
National Guard soldiers are on duty.
Image: dpa
Climate change increases the likelihood of strong storms.
Image: Leo Hudson/AP
Hurricane "Beryl" leaves a trail of devastation in the Caribbean. Now it is making landfall again in Mexico. More than 300,000 vacationers are staying in the affected region.
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- Hurricane "Beryl" has reached the Central American mainland in Mexico.
- The hurricane made landfall early Friday morning (local time) as a category 2 hurricane near the resort town of Tulum on the Yucatán Peninsula, according to the US Hurricane Center.
- Shortly afterwards, it lost strength and had wind speeds of up to 175 kilometers per hour.
After its destructive passage over the Caribbean Sea, hurricane "Beryl" is now raging in the vacation region of the Mexican peninsula of Yucatán. It made landfall in the early morning local time near the popular seaside resort of Tulum, according to the US hurricane center NHC. According to the local authorities, more than 340,000 visitors were still staying in the region, which also includes the city of Cancún. The hurricane's strong winds toppled trees and electricity pylons and covered houses. According to Mexico's civil defense chief Laura Velázquez, 50 percent of the power was cut in Tulum, among other places.
At landfall, "Beryl" was a level 2 hurricane with sustained wind speeds of up to 175 kilometers per hour. It has since weakened slightly and, according to the NHC, is expected to lose further strength over land, then become stronger again over the sea in the Gulf of Mexico - and head for north-eastern Mexico and the US state of Texas. It had previously reached the highest hurricane category and had become the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded in July - which is probably linked to the high sea temperatures and therefore also climate change.
The governor of the affected Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama, called on people to seek a safe place, stay away from windows and remain calm. The highest warning level is in place. "The most important thing right now is to protect yourself and take care of yourself. Don't take any risks," she says in a video on Platform X - howling winds can be heard alongside her voice.
Dozens of flights were canceled in the region and the international airport in Tulum was closed. Many tourists wanted to stay in the region despite "Beryl", said Lezama. The larger hotels set up their own safety zones for their visitors. Emergency accommodation was provided and some residents were evacuated.
"Beryl" devastates several islands
"Beryl", the first hurricane of the Atlantic season that began in early June, developed rapidly last weekend. As a force 4 hurricane, it made landfall for the first time on Monday and devastated several small islands in the south-east of the Caribbean, which belong to the states of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. According to government figures, more than 90 percent of the houses there were damaged or destroyed. From Thursday night, the center of the storm passed through Jamaica, causing major destruction in some places there too.
A total of at least ten deaths have been reported so far, including three in Venezuela. The UN emergency aid office OCHA in Geneva reported that around a quarter of a million people in the Caribbean were affected by the storm - many had lost everything.
Historically strong storm
Never before had such a strong storm been recorded so early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts six months. In the meantime, the NHC measured wind speeds of around 270 kilometers per hour - from 252, the highest category 5 is reached. Warmer seawater makes strong cyclones more likely as a result of climate change.
Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell called the hurricane a direct consequence of the climate crisis. He called for more climate justice: small island states should not have to suffer excessively from the climate impacts caused mainly by larger countries and also bear their financial burden.
dpa