Hurricane Wilma tore into the heart of Mexico's Caribbean resort strip on Friday, trapping thousands of frightened tourists in darkened shelters pounded by torrential rains and shrieking winds as Cancun's half-million residents watched their streets fill with water, Associated Press reported. The mammoth storm, which had already killed 13 people, was expected to pound the area for two days, raising the possibility of catastrophic damage, before curling around Cuba and sprinting toward Florida. "It's going to be a long couple of days here for the Yucatan Peninsula," said Max Mayfield, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Wilma's fearsome core, the eyewall whirling about its center, hit the cruise-ship magnet of Cozumel island at mid-morning Friday with sustained winds of about 225 kph (140 mph). The extent of damage was unclear amid the chaos of wind, water and flying debris. "Tin roofing is flying through the air everywhere. Palm trees are falling down. Signs are in the air and cables are snapping," Julio Torres told The Associated Press by telephone from the Red Cross office in Cozumel. --more 2149 Local Time 1849 GMT
