Tropical Storm Earl leaves three dead in Mexico

A landslide triggered by Tropical Storm Earl left three dead Saturday in eastern Mexico as heavy rains began to ease up, but officials warned residents to remain prepared for floods or mudslides.

A couple and their toddler died in Veracruz state when their house was buried, the state's secretary of civil protection Yolanda Gutierrez Carlin told AFP. The couple's eight-year-old child was rescued and hospitalized.

Two other people were injured in the state capital and at least 18 families in the area have been evacuated from their homes, Carlin said, also warning of increased water levels in the Jamapa river.

Heavy rains and fierce wind gusts hit Mexico Thursday after Earl weakened from hurricane status over Central America.

The storm has lost strength but rainfall in the country's southeastern states could still cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Earl swept in from the Caribbean at hurricane strength Wednesday, striking just south of Belize's capital, said the NHC.

The Mexican authorities took no chances, evacuating 300 families living close to a river along the border with Belize in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo for fear of flooding.