Authorities in southern Mexico were still assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region. Torrential rains over steep coastal mountains and the landslides and flooding they could generate became ongoing concern for officials after Erick dissipated following a landfall early Thursday on a sparsely populated stretch of coast.

By Aida Pelaez-Fernandez MEXICO CITY/PUERTO ESCONDIDO (Reuters) -Hurricane Erick weakened after slamming into Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a major hurricane on Thursday, leaving a trail of damaged businesses,

The hurricane had been a Category 4 storm as it bore down from the eastern Pacific toward Mexico. The authorities ordered evacuations in Oaxaca and Guerrero.