Mexico City, September 7 (RHC)-- Hurricane Newton has battered Mexico's northwestern resort of Los Cabos, tearing down trees and blowing away tin roofs.  According to local reports, the powerful storm packed 145 kilometer-per-hour winds and slammed into at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula on Tuesday.

Local airports closed late Monday night, while small boats were barred from using the ports. Schools were also shut down in the affected region.  There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Los Cabos civil protection director Marco Antonio Vazquez told reporters that authorities were still assessing the possible damage.  "The winds were very strong," Vazquez said, adding: "For now the damage includes a lot of branches, a lot of fallen plants, many trees."  The official said he also saw telephone cables as well as tin roofs from poorer neighborhoods on the streets.

Vazquez confirmed that authorities opened shelters with capacity for 16,000 people across the state.  Some 1,500 people took refuge in shelters in Los Cabos, and the hurricane also knocked out power in some places as stranded tourists huddled in their hotels.

In September 2014, Los Cabos, famed for its beaches, was pummeled by Hurricane Odile, which left six people dead and caused more than one billion dollars in damage.