THE death toll from Tropical Storm Lidia that swept across Mexico’s Baja California peninsula has risen to seven, officials said yesterday.

Five of the deaths occurred at the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, the local government said.

Erasmo Palemon, attorney-general for the state of Baja California Sur, said while the deaths were tragic, “it is sometimes the responsibility of the citizens themselves to take care of themselves and to protect themselves”.

According to the US’ National Hurricane Centre, Lidia is advancing over the peninsula, home to a swank strip of beach resorts, with maximum sustained winds of 65kph.

It is expected to weaken throughout the day and become a tropical depression.

Mexico is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to hurricanes due to its location and wide coastlines, both in the Pacific and the Atlantic. – AFP, September 3, 2017.