VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) - Hurricane Stan slammed into Mexico's Gulf coast yesterday, forcing authorities to close one of the nation's busiest ports and spawning related storms across the region that left at least 59 people dead, most from landslides in El Salvador.

The storm, which whipped up 80-mph (130-kph) winds, came ashore along a sparsely populated stretch of coastline south of Veracruz, a busy port 185 miles (295 kilometres) east of Mexico City.

The storm's outer bands swiped the city, knocking down trees and flooding low-lying neighbourhoods, and closing some highways, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Once it hit land, the hurricane was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm.

All three of Mexico's Gulf coast crude-oil loading ports were closed yesterday as a precaution, but the shutdowns weren't expected to affect oil prices.

Forecasters said the hurricane spawned separate storms across Central America and southern Mexico, provoking flooding and landslides. At least 41 people were killed in El Salvador, the majority in landslides yesterday.

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