Hurricane Agatha kills 11 after hitting Mexico

At least 11 people were killed Monday and Tuesday and another 20 are still missing after Hurricane Agatha struck Oaxaca, in Mexico, causing flooding and mudslides.

“There were rivers that overflowed, and on the other hand, and the most serious part, were landslides,” Oaxaca governor Alejando Murat said.

He said many of the deaths were inland in mountain communities near the coast, but at least three children were missing in the resort region of Huatulco, on the Pacific Ocean.

This satellite image made available by NOAA shows Hurricane Agatha off the Pacific coast of Oaxaca state, Mexico.

Agatha made landfall Monday afternoon as a Category 2 hurricane.

The storm was the strongest to ever come ashore in May during Pacific hurricane season, Jeff Masters, meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections, told the Associated Press. It was only the third time a May hurricane had made landfall in Mexico.

Murat said power was being restored to the areas, but many highways and bridges were still flooded or washed out.

The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved across Mexico, but it is still expected to bring rain and wind to south Florida this week.

Wednesday marked the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which experts have said will be quite active this year.

With News Wire Services