Zombie hurricane John devastates Mexican coast: 5 dead, ports destroyed

Hurricane John, also known as the "zombie hurricane," has been wreaking havoc off the coast of Mexico since Monday. It was rated as a Category 3 on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, but it had intensified significantly by Thursday.

Temporary airport closures destroyed cargo ports off the coast of Mexico, and five fatalities due to a mudslide have been reported. On Thursday, 26 September, the hurricane, which had been raging since the beginning of the week, struck with renewed force.

One of the meteorologists working with the weather service AccuWeather, Jesse Ferrell, described this type of hurricane as a "zombie". This term refers to systems that temporarily weaken only to regain strength shortly after.

This is not the first such phenomenon in these areas. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan, which lasted nearly a month, struck the Caribbean before dissipating and returning to life to hit the United States. The victims of the destruction caused by this disaster were compensated approximately 21 billion pounds.

On Thursday evening, John was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (121 kph) and crawling northwest just off the coast of Mexico's Michoacan state, according to the US National Hurricane Center, as reported by Reuters.

As recently as Tuesday, restaurant owners and other business owners catering to tourists expressed concerns about their future.

"We are very worried," said the owner of one restaurant, who emphasised that the occurrence of hurricanes in these areas has intensified in recent years.