Tropical Storm Barbara hits Mexico, Guatemala

Mexico City, June 3: Tropical Storm Barbara lashed coffee- and sugar-growing regions near the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Guatemala with wind and rain today but caused no injuries or major damage.

Barbara made landfall early today packing sustained winds of 80 kph, and higher gusts, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

It warned of possible flash floods or mudslides in the mountainous area of towering volcanoes and forests spanning the border region, where many inhabitants are poor Maya indigenous farmers or landless rural workers.

A chain of mountains and volcanoes runs parallel to the coast in the important coffee- and sugar-growing region, and heavy rainfall can often unleash fierce torrents.

In 2005, Hurricane Stan buried as many as 300 Maya villagers in a mudslide in Guatemala and ripped apart the Mexican town of Tapachula near the border, cutting off the trading and farming center.

Emergency services in Tapachula said Barbara's eye passed over the town shortly after dawn, bringing wind and rain to the farming and commerce center.

Gilberto Orozco, spokesman for civil protection in Tapachula, said many rivers in the area were swollen but there were no reports of any of them bursting their banks.

The region was on high alert for run-off from higher ground.

''Most of the water was dumped in the mountains,'' Orozco said.

There were no reports of damage in Guatemala.

Barbara later weakened to a tropical depression and was expected to lose more strength as it headed inland.

Salina Cruz, a small oil port farther west along the Mexican coast in the state of Oaxaca, remained open.

Earlier predictions had Barbara developing into a hurricane over the weekend and barreling toward Mexican resorts like Puerto Escondido, a major surfing spot. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when maximum sustained winds reach 120 kph.

Reuters>