Cancun (Mexico), Oct. 21 (Reuters): Hurricane Wilma’s ferocious winds and rain pounded Mexico’s famous Caribbean beach resorts today, knocking down trees and pinning thousands of tourists inside cramped shelters.

Powerful waves swallowed up Cancun’s white sand beaches and most of Mexico’s “Maya Riviera” resorts were in darkness as electricity was knocked out along the coast and on the island of Cozumel, a favourite of scuba divers.

Sturdy tropical trees danced in howling winds and others lay toppled in empty and flooded streets

Stinging rains gathered strength as Wilma, a Category 4 hurricane, moved in slowly from the Caribbean with winds of 230 kmph.

Tourists were evacuated from luxury beachfront hotels and the normally calm, turquoise Caribbean seas heaved.

Thousands of foreigners flew out on special flights yesterday. Others took shelter inside schools, gymnasiums and hotel conference rooms further inland. “We just want something to eat and something to drink,” said British tourist Karen Walker, one of dozens who spent seven hours on buses looking for a shelter after their flight was cancelled.

They ended up at a school on the outskirts of Cancun without mattresses and blankets.