Cancun flooded after Wilma hits Mexico

Although it weakened in the early hours and was downgraded to a category three storm, Wilma packed enough punch to fell trees and tear off roofs, as tens of thousands of tourists and residents cowered in emergency shelters.

"The water is already reaching the third floor of some hotels," said Humberto Hernandez Uzon, a spokesman for the national weather service. "And the bad weather will continue for another 12 hours."

Quintana Roo state governor Felix Gonzalez Canto said the storm had affected the whole infrastructure of the region, but noted with satisfaction that so far his administration was not aware of any fatalities.

The eye of the 12th hurricane of the Atlantic season was expected to remain over the peninsula on Saturday before heading slowly toward the Florida coast in the southeastern United States.

At 0900 GMT, the US National Hurricane Centre said the eye of the storm remained stationary 45 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Cancun, right over the resort of Playa del Carmen.

After coming ashore as a category four hurricane, Wilma now delivered sustained winds of 205 kilometres (125 miles) an hour, the US National Hurricane Centre said.

"Some additional weakening is expected today while Wilma is over land," the centre said in its advisory, predicting that the hurricane would gradually begin to turn north, toward the US state of Florida, later in the day.

The storm has already claimed its first victims. Six people were injured in a fire in Playa del Carmen Friday, when strong winds caused a gas tank to fall and ignite, authorities said.