BELMOPAN, Belize (AP) – Earl strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday and roared toward a nighttime landfall in the Caribbean nation of Belize as it brushed by Honduras, leaving felled trees and power lines in its wake.
The storm dumped rain on nearly all of Honduras, where officials reported a lobster fishing boat was hit by a large wave in the Caribbean and capsized. Most of the 83 people on board were rescued, but the navy was looking for two missing.
Authorities rescued four families in the coastal city of Trujillo after a river jumped its banks.
Lisandro Rosales, head of Honduras’ emergency commission, said there were reports of large numbers of trees and utility poles being knocked down. Schools and universities closed across Honduras’ Atlantic provinces as did two commercial airports.
The commission warned of torrential rains, particularly along the northern coast. The storm swept by the popular tourist destination of Roatan Island in the afternoon.