Hurricane Felix crashes ashore in Nicaragua

MIAMI, Sept 4, 2007 (AFP) - Hurricane Felix, a potentially catastrophic category five storm, made landfall in northeastern Nicaragua Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Center said.
"Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 160 mph (260 km/hr) with higher gusts," the Miami-based center said.
Central American authorities evacuated thousands of residents and tourists from the Caribbean coasts as the massive hurricane rekindled bitter memories of Hurricane Mitch, which killed 9,000 people and displaced 2.5 million in the region -- mostly in Honduras -- in 1998.
mdl/ksh

09/04/2007 12:02 GMT