Hurricane Eta slams into Nicaragua as Cat 4 storm

MANAGUA, NICARAGUA » The heart of powerful Hurricane Eta began moving ashore in Nicaragua Tuesday with devastating winds and rains that hadalready destroyed rooftops and caused rivers to overflow.

The hurricane had sustained winds of 140 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, down from an overnight peak of 150 mph. Even before it made landfall, Honduras reported the first death after a mudslide trapped a 12-year- old girl in San Pedro Sula. Tuesday afternoon, the Category 4 hurricane was still on the coast, about 15 miles south-southwest of coastal Puerto Cabezas or Bilwi, and it was moving west near 5 mph. Landfall came hours after it had been expected. Eta’s eye had hovered just offshore through the night and Tuesdaymorning.