Hurricane winds strike Mexican coast

Hurricane-force winds whipped the Caribbean coast of Mexico on today as a roaring Category 5 Hurricane Dean sped toward the ancient ruins and modern oil installations of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Thousands of tourists fled the beaches of the Mayan Riviera and Mexico’s state oil company, Petroleos de Mexico, said it evacuated more than 18,000 workers in the southern Gulf of Mexico, which includes the giant Cantarell oil field.