Hurricane Erick ‘extremely dangerous’ as it nears Mexico

USA: Hurricane Erick has strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, as it heads towards Mexico’s Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.

Maximum sustained winds in the storm were near 220km/h (140mph) early on Thursday local time.

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Forecasters expect it to make landfall in the coming hours with the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero state most likely to be impacted by what the NHC says could be “devastating wind damage”.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told people in the storm’s path to “stay tuned to official communications, to stay indoors, and not go out”.