Hurricane Max hits Mexico near Acapulco

Hurricane Max has slammed into Mexico's southern Pacific coast, dumping rain on an area east of the resort city of Acapulco before weakening into a tropical storm as it move inland into Guerrero state.

The coastline where Max made landfall is sparsely populated and dotted with fishing villages.

Guerrero Governor Hector Astudillo warned that the rains would continue all night. Near Acapulco, the government worked feverishly to widen a channel to the sea to prevent a coastal lagoon from flooding.

The US National Hurricane Center earlier on Thursday issued a hurricane warning for Max for the coastline between Zihuatanejo and Punta Maldonado, and said the storm could bring "life-threatening flash floods and rainfall" to Guerrero and Oaxaca states.

Max had maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h and was located about 130km east of Acapulco. It was heading toward the east at 13km/h, the hurricane center reported.

Acapulco, about 60km from where the hurricane made landfall, was hit by strong winds and rain that blew down some branches on the city's coastal boulevard.