AlHijjah 1, 1432, Oct 28, 2011, SPA -- Tropical Storm Rina battered Mexico's Caribbean coast and the island of Cozumel with winds and rain Friday, as the navy forcibly evacuated some residents who refused to leave a low-lying island north of the storm, AP reported. Rina was a far cry from the Category 3 hurricane that some had feared would hit the resort-studded region and many tourists abandoned Cancun and the Riviera Maya ahead of its arrival. The storm was weakening further early Friday, with maximum sustained winds having decreased to near 50 mph (85 kph). Playa de Carmen, a resort town across from Cozumel, was left without electricity and streets were largely empty as Rina swept the coast just 20 miles (30 kilometer) west of Cozumel with winds of about 60 mph (95 kph). The storm was moving north at about 7 mph (11 kph). The Mexican Navy took mandatory evacuation orders so seriously that it sent boats to Holbox island, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of where the storm was expected to hit, to haul out by force about 80 residents who had refused to leave the island during an earlier evacuation of about 2,300 people. At least eight cruise ships changed itineraries away from the storm's path. -- SPA
