MEXICO CITY, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Hurricane Delta weakened from a category 4 to a category 2 cyclone as it made landfall early Wednesday in the Mexican Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, but heavy rains and strong winds still caused some infrastructure damage, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) said.

According to the SMN, Delta hit the beach town of Puerto Morelos at 5:30 a.m. local time (1030 GMT), just south of the renowned tourism resort of Cancun, with maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour and gusts of 200 kph.

Delta lost strength after barreling across the Caribbean Sea as a category 4 hurricane, on a scale of five, with winds of 215 kph and gusts of 270 kph, threatening catastrophic destruction.

Thousands of people were evacuated from the hotel zone in Cancun on Tuesday, as well as other resorts, such as Isla Mujeres, Cozumel island and Punta Allen.

The Mexican government reported that as of 7 a.m. local time (1200 GMT), Delta had knocked over some power lines, signposts and trees, mainly in Cancun and Cozumel.

Delta was expected to head north toward the Gulf of Mexico in the afternoon on a trajectory to the southeast coast of the United States. Enditem

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