Hurricane Newton makes fairly soft landing in Baja Mexico, says president

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto on Tuesday reported Hurricane Newton largely spared the tip of the Baja California Peninsula after making landfall, causing minor damages and no casualties.

After the category 1 hurricane landed in the state of Southern Baja California in the predawn hours, and government agencies reported on the impact, the president posted on Twitter: "According to the latest reports, Newton has caused only minor damage to infrastructure and there are no victims."

Local and federal officials, he said, were working together to ensure the safety of communities in the area, which is home to Los Cabos, a beach resort especially popular with residents in the U.S. southwest.

"This afternoon we will have a more detailed assessment of the damages that will allow us to launch the recovery phase," said the president.

Newton was strong enough to knock down highway signs in Los Cabos, but roadways remained open, allowing businesses to begin reopening around noon, the coordinator of the Interior Ministry's National Civil Protection agency, Luis Felipe Puente, said.

Still, at least one visiting couple slept in the lobby of their hotel, after lashing winds and rain rocked their fifth-floor room, the daily El Universal reported.

Newton made landfall around 3 a.m. (0800 GMT), with rain and winds of 150 km per hour that disrupted electricity, Internet and cellular phone service in Los Cabos.

Airlines canceled flights in anticipation of the hurricane.

Newton was expected to cross the peninsula on its way to the Sea of Cortez, possibly hitting the state capital La Paz in the process, before reaching northwest Mexico. Enditem