Keith moves toward Mexico after battering Central America

BISCAYNE VILLAGE, Belize - Former Hurricane Keith lost strength as it moved over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday, but the damage to parts of Central America was already done: High winds and rain caused a dozen deaths, knocked over houses and ravaged islands, reports said.

While the Caribbean coast nation of Belize suffered the worst damage, Nicaragua reported the highest death toll. Between eight and 10 people were believed killed there since the storm developed on Thursday.

Most of the victims appeared to have been swept to their deaths by swollen rivers, though one man was electrocuted by a power cable downed by the storm. About 2,600 Nicaraguans had their homes flooded during the storm's five-day run through the region.

''We have to appeal to God that there be no more hurricanes,'' Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman said Tuesday.

Rain-swollen rivers also killed a man in El Salvador, and one woman in Honduras drowned Monday when water rushed into her home. Rain associated with the hurricane also caused flooding in Mexico's Gulf coast region of Tabasco, where one person drowned.

Keith began last week as a tropical storm off the coast of Nicaragua's neighbor, Honduras, before becoming a hurricane and stalling off the coast of Belize. In Belize, skies cleared for the first time Tuesday since Keith dumped 22 inches of rain on parts of the country.

Initial reports from Caye Caulker, 12 miles off the Caribbean coast, indicated that most of the houses on the island had been blown down by Keith, once a powerful category-three hurricane. The U.S. government dispatched a 12-person relief and rescue team from Miami to Belize with emergency aid including blankets, plastic tarps and water jugs.

A news anchor for FM-LOVE radio station flew over the islands and said all the smaller houses were blown down in San Pedro on Ambergris Cay. He also reported small planes with their wings and tails snapped off and sunken boats.

Islands like Caye Caulker and Ambergris Cay are popular among tourists for their pristine beaches and crystalline waters. Reports indicated that the roofs were blown off two hotels on Ambergris Cay during the height of the storm.

Relief flights were bringing in food and medicine to island residents. Prime Minister Said Musa on Tuesday announced a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the islands for security reasons.

William Skeen, director of the Red Cross in Belize City, said dozens of houses had collapsed throughout the city. Only about 60 percent of the city had electricity Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Keith had dwindled to a tropical depression with 30 mph winds. Floodwaters that had risen knee-deep in Belize City began to drain.

The depression was moving west over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and was expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predicted the storm would weaken further.

Meanwhile, another tropical storm, Olivia, formed Tuesday far off Mexico's southern Pacific coast, with winds of almost 45 mph. Olivia was nearly stationary about 180 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico.