*

Hurricane Erick weakens to Category 1 as it moves inland

over

Mexico's Pacific coast

*

Residents of the state of Oaxaca take to the beaches to

clean up

piled-up boats and debris

*

The storm is expected to bring life-threatening floods,

mudslides

(Recasts with damage, comments from fisherman and hurricane

downgrade)

By Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Jose Cortes

MEXICO CITY/PUERTO ESCONDIDO, June 19 (Reuters) -

H urricane Erick weakened after slamming into Mexico's southern

Pacific coast as a major hurricane on Thursday, leaving a trail

of damaged businesses, wrecked boats and flooded streets in the

state of Oaxaca as authorities warned of risks from heavy rain.

Erick made landfall near the resort town Puerto Escondido

around 5:30 a.m. local time (1130 GMT) as a Category 3

hurricane. It was later downgraded to Category 1 as it moved

inland, with sustained winds slowing to 85 mph (137 kph).

In coastal towns, residents began clearing debris. "There

are many boats sunk here," said fisherman Eduardo Gonzalez in

Puerto Escondido. "We're here to help our colleagues."

Despite having weakened, officials cautioned that Erick's

intense rains remained dangerous.

"Life-threatening flooding and mudslides are expected,

especially in areas of steep terrain," the U.S. National

Hurricane Center said, forecasting up to 16 inches (41 cm) of

rain for Oaxaca and neighboring Guerrero state.

Mexico's environment ministry also warned of waves of up to

10 meters (33 feet).

No deaths were immediately reported, Laura Velazquez, the

head of Mexico's civil protection agency, said at a press

conference.

Two hospitals had suffered damage and power supply was

compromised, she added. State-owned utility CFE reported that

more than 120,000 users had lost power in Oaxaca, with service

restored to 26% by late morning.

Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara said roads and highways were

significantly damaged.

Erick is the earliest major hurricane to make landfall in

the eastern Pacific, meteorologists from AccuWeather said.

"Rapid intensification near coastal cities is a major

concern this hurricane season...as water temperatures continue

to increase," said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane

expert.

Areas around Acapulco are especially vulnerable, AccuWeather

said, as the beach town is still recovering from the impact of

Hurricane Otis which hit in 2023.