Two dead as Hurricane Erick moves across Mexico

HURRICANE Erick killed at least two people as it swept through southern Mexico causing significant damage to coastal communities before weakening to a low-pressure system on Thursday night, authorities said.

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A man was electrocuted while helping with debris removal in the southern Oaxaca state, where Erick made landfall, after handling high-voltage cables near a stream, the state government said. A child died in neighboring Guerrero state after being swept away by a swollen stream as his mother tried to carry him across in the town of San Marcos, civil protection authorities reported.

The US National Hurricane Center's said Erick had weakened overnight to a tropical storm located 155km/h from Acapulco port, with sustained winds of 50km/h as it moved across southern Mexico on Thursday.

Coastal communities in Oaxaca including Lagunas de Chacahua, home to around 2 800 people, were directly hit by the storm, which destroyed thatched roofs and flooded streets.