Hurricane Erick, a Category 3 storm, has made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.

Erick hit the extreme west of Oaxaca state early on Thursday local time with maximum sustained winds near 205km/h (125 mph), shortly after being downgraded slightly from an “extremely dangerous” Category 4.

Forecasters warned of its destructive winds and said it could cause life-threatening flooding in Oaxaca and neighbouring Guerrero before moving inland over southern Mexico, where it is expected to weaken rapidly.

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

A hurricane warning is in effect for a 500km-stretch (300 miles) of the Pacific coast, from the resort town of Acapulco to Puerto Ángel.

Residents in Guerrero and Oaxaca have been warned of dangerous swells and torrential rain.

“If you are in low-lying areas, near rivers, near waterways, it is best for you to go to shelters, to the shelters that have already been set up for this situation,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

People living in mountainous areas have been told to beware of possible mudslides.

Around 2,000 shelters have been set up across the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca and more than 18,000 first responders have been mobilised to prepare for the hurricane.

The area was severely battered by Hurricane Otis in 2023. At least 50 people were killed when the Category-5 hurricane battered Acapulco.

Otis intensified rapidly, meaning many people were unprepared when the hurricane made landfall.

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