Hurricane Simon and Tropical Storm Rachel kill at least five on Mexico's Pacific coast

At least five people have died on Mexico's Pacific coast after Hurricane Simon and Tropical Storm Rachel struck the region. The resulting floods brought down trees and power poles, blocked roads and swamped homes.

Simon killed a 71-year-old man in Chilpancingo, in the southern state of Guerrero, when a wall collapsed on him. Guerrero governor Evelyn Salgado announced this at a press conference. She said the storm also damaged infrastructure and houses in the state's coastal towns, including the major port city of Acapulco.

Rachel's victims in Baja California

Rachel is blamed for the deaths of four members of one family, two of them children. Their bodies were found on the outskirts of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, according to the state prosecutor's office. Five more people are still missing, while security forces used helicopters to rescue 32 people. Baja California governor Marina del Pilar said more than 50 people were being helped in temporary shelters.

Threat remains

Simon did not make landfall and is moving away from the coast after weakening to category two on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. A rain alert remains in force. The US National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that heavy rainfall in west-central Mexico over the coming days could still cause life-threatening floods and mudslides. Waves of up to five metres are still expected in some coastal areas. Floods and landslides have already hit communities near rivers and streams in the states of Michoacan and Colima.

Climate factors

The El Niño phenomenon, marked by rising Pacific water temperatures, is fuelling more intense hurricanes in the region this season. Meteorologists say the 2026–27 El Niño is certain to be the biggest ever recorded. Scientists also now believe human-caused global heating is making El Niño events more intense.