PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico (Reuters) – Authorities labored in a single day into Tuesday to clear highways blocked by mudslides along Mexico’s southern coast as Tropical Storm Agatha barrelled down on the nation, bringing torrential rains and robust winds.

Agatha made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Monday afternoon, touching down with 105 miles per hour winds (169 kilometres per hour) close to the seaside city of Puerto Angel on the Pacific coast.

By Monday night Agatha weakened to a tropical storm and is anticipated to dissipate additional by Tuesday night, in accordance to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), which maintained a warning of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in Oaxaca state.

Rain precipitated mud and rocks to slide into two highways in Oaxaca, blocking entry to at the least one space of the state, native authorities mentioned. Mexico’s transportation ministry was working to clear the roads late on Monday night.

Some cities in Oaxaca had been left with out electrical energy, and one transformer exploded, authorities mentioned. Telephone traces had been knocked out on Monday, forcing authorities to talk by radio.

Agatha is anticipated to drop a complete of 10 to 16 inches (25-41 centimetres) of rain on Oaxaca, with heavy downpours in close by states of Chiapas, Veracruz, Tabasco and jap Guerrero, the NHC mentioned.

(Reporting by Jose Cortes and Kylie Madry; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)