Tropical Storm Lidia leaves four dead in Mexico

Civil Protection personnel and police work in areas flooded due to the heavy rainfall caused by Tropical Storm Lidia in Mexico City, Mexico, on Thursday. Photo by STR/EPA

Sept. 1 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Lidia left at least four people dead on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, local officials said Friday.

The storm, packing 65 mph winds, made landfall along Mexico’s west coast Thursday night and was moving northwest along the peninsula Friday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.

Lidia brought heavy rains to the peninsula, causing flooding, particularly along streams. A four-story apartment building near one stream collapsed, local newspaper Reforma said, as cited by The Wall Street Journal.

Arturo de La Rosa Escalante, mayor of Los Cabos, said at least one person was missing after being dragged away by a stream.

The city opened 16 temporary shelters for more than 1,600 people. Reforma said some 20,000 tourists were sheltering at their hotels.

More than 100,000 residences lost power Thursday night, with about 22 percent being restored by Friday morning.

The NHC said the storm was expected to travel in a northwest direction through Friday and will travel along the west coast of the peninsula through Saturday before turning west off the coast Saturday night.

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