Hurricane Dean raked the Mexican mainland Wednesday and battered evacuated oil platforms, forcing thousands to flee as it regained some of the force it unleashed on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Hurricane Dean swept across the Yucatan peninsula, toppling trees, power lines and houses as it bore down on the heart of Mexico’s oil industry.

OIL prices eased slightly yesterday having hit almost $62 on Friday, because of the bomb explosions in London and fears that a hurricane in the Atlantic could damage US oil rigs.