Hurricane Erick hits Southern Mexico, kills 1-year-old, cutting power to thousands

By Silan Turp and Fatma Zehra Solmaz

ACAPULCO / ISTANBUL (AA) - A one-year-old was killed and thousands were left without power when Hurricane Erick hit Mexico’s southern Pacific coast early Thursday.

Authorities reported that the boy slipped out from his mother’s arms and drowned in an overflowing river in San Marcos, Guerrero, The Independent reported.

The storm quickly strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane before weakening to Category 3 at landfall, striking the coast between Acapulco and Puerto Escondido.

It was the first hurricane of the season, which lasts from May to November.

The US National Hurricane Center warned Erick would bring “potentially destructive winds and life-threatening flash flooding” across parts of southern Mexico.

Over 18,000 emergency workers were deployed, more than 500 shelters opened, and Acapulco officials halted public activities, urging people in flood-prone areas to evacuate.

“We ask the people of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas to remain calm, to take refuge in safe places,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in a video message on X.

Erick is expected to fully dissipate over Mexico’s mountainous terrain by Friday.

However, weather forecasters say heavy rain will continue to pose risks over the next 24 hours.