Dean takes aim at mainland Mexico

Hurricane Dean raked the Mexican mainland yesterday and battered evacuated oil platforms, forcing thousands to flee as it regained some of the force it unleashed on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Hurricane-force winds were just off the coast of Veracruz state as the sprawling storm grew back to Category 2 status, with winds of 160 kph, before a projected midday strike. To the south, the hurricane's storm surge flooded Ciudad del Carmen, a city of 120,000 people.

Civil defense workers in yellow raincoats joined troops in rousting Tecolutla's residents and loading them aboard army trucks during a heavy rain for a trip to inland shelters. At least 10,000 others were evacuated in Tuxpan to the north, said Veracruz state Governor Fidel Herrera.