Tropical storm Richard batters Honduran coast

Tegucigalpa: Tropical Storm Richard lashed Honduras' Caribbean coast with heavy rain and wind and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane yesterday as it roared toward Belize and southeastern Mexico.

Authorities warned of deadly floods and mudslides in Honduras and declared a state of maximum alert in four coastal provinces.

Lisandro Rosales, head of Honduras' Permanent Emergency Commission, said civil defence offices along the coast were preparing to carry out evacuations if needed.

Richard was expected to pass near the Honduran island of Roatan, which is popular with tourists and divers, before approaching Belize and southeastern Mexico last night, according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami, Florida.

Hurricane warnings were issued for the coasts of Honduras and Belize, and storm warnings were in place for Mexico's southern Caribbean coast.

Yesterday morning, Richard was just off Honduras' coast, at a point about 85km east-northeast of Guanaja, and was moving west-northwest at about 13km per hour. Its maximum sustained winds strengthened to 110km per hour and were forecast to reach hurricane strength by yesterday morning, according to the hurricane centre.

Honduran officials said rain was falling on the eastern province of Gracias a Dios, where floods have been severe in the past.

"Richard is travelling slowly parallel to Honduras' Atlantic coast and causing rains since Friday night on the Caribbean seaboard," said Daniel Posas of Honduras' National Meteorological Service.

Strong winds

"Bands from Richard are already provoking strong winds in Gracias a Dios province that will increase over the course of the day."

The hurricane centre said Richard could cause "large, destructive waves" and storm surges of 2 to 4 feet above normal tides in Honduras and Belize.

The storm could bring 7-13 centimetres of rain to northern Honduras and as much as 18 centimetres in some spots, which the centre said "could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides."