MEXICO CITY -- Tropical Storm John has caused a total of eight deaths in southern Mexico, and five days of heavy rains have generated severe flooding and mudslides in the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco.

Severe weather battered parts of Mexico for the fifth consecutive day as Tropical Storm John made landfall on Friday, releasing more rain and catastrophic flash-flooding, forecasters said, though it is expected to weaken as the storm sweeps the country’s southwestern coast for a second time this week.

Helene has strengthened into a hurricane with forecasters warning that the storm would intensify as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico on a path to Florida