Hurricane Stan slams into Mexico's Gulf after killing 59 people in CA

Hurricane Stan approached Mexico's Gulf coast on Tuesday, forcing evacuations and shutting down oil ports after killing at least 59 people in Central America.

The storm came ashore 85 miles southeast of Veracruz as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of nearly 80 mph, although it then weakened to a tropical storm. (Related: Track Stan)

"The weather is terrible, it's raining and windy. Some of the trees are falling down," hotel worker Nabor Sandoval said from Veracruz, a normally balmy, laid-back colonial port.

Hundreds of people were evacuated in Veracruz as rivers overflowed into residential areas, the city government said.

Four people were injured in Veracruz state when the roofs of their homes were blown off.

"There are no deaths but things are difficult. It is too much water," said a spokeswoman for the state civil protection agency, reports USA Today.

According to Reuters, Veracruz President Juan Alvarado, 52, feared for his wood and tin home. "I am worried the wind will take it away. My three children are there," he said.

"There are no deaths but things are difficult. It is too much water," said a spokeswoman for the state civil protection agency.

Rain lashed a shantytown on the outskirts of Veracruz, where residents watched the water swell from a lagoon into neighbors' homes, and debated whether to flee to shelters.

"If it rises any more we'll have to go," said Carolina Cagaltoto, a 25 year-old mother of two. "But I don't want to go because (people) are stealing."

Stan crossed the Yucatan Peninsula during the weekend, unleashing heavy rains in Central America, where at least 65 people were killed in floods, mudslides and rough weather at sea.

El Salvador was hardest hit with at least 49 deaths, while the toll in Nicaragua was six. Eight people were reported dead in Guatemala and two in Honduras.

P.T.