At least two people have died in southern Mexico from the passage of Typhoon John, now downgraded to a tropical storm, authorities said.

“Two people were reported dead due to a landslide” that struck their home, Eveline Salgado, governor of Guerrero state, announced at a news conference. “John” began hitting southwestern Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane, but has now weakened to a tropical storm.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the US, the tropical storm was (at around 15:00 local time) hitting the resort town of Acapulco with winds reaching 85km/h.

“It was an intense event, with a lot of rain,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador commented at a press conference.

Coastal towns in Guerrero state suffered the worst blow from the heavy rains, as road closures occurred, there were electricity cuts, while schools remained closed. Problems were also reported in the neighbouring state of Oaxaca.

The Mexican state of Guerrero was hit on 25 October 2023 by Hurricane Otis (Category 5, the highest one), which caused massive destruction in Acapulco and left more than 40 people dead.