Beta strengthened into a category 3 hurricane as it neared Central America's Caribbean coast early Sunday, its outer bands pounding the mainland with heavy rains and high winds. Thousands of residents awaited the storm in boarded-up homes or in government shelters, AP reported. The hurricane's winds had increased to 115 mph (185 kph) as Beta edged slowly closer toward the Nicaragua-Honduras border. Hondurans nervously watched the progress of Beta as President Ricardo Maduro warned of the importance of being prepared to avoid another Hurricane Mitch, which in 1998 stalled over Honduras with 205 kph (120 mph) winds, sweeping away bridges, flooding neighborhoods and killing thousands of people. Before edging westward toward Central America, a slow-moving Beta, the record 13th hurricane of this year's Atlantic storm season, lashed the Colombian island of Providencia with heavy winds, torrential rains and high surf. Several people were injured during the hurricane, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said Saturday, though he did not provide an exact figure or give the extent of the injuries. No deaths were reported. Roofs were ripped off of dozens of wooden homes, the island's main communications tower was knocked over and a tourist foot bridge was torn apart. But most of the 5,000 islanders stayed safe by climbing Providencia's many hills to hunker down in brick shelters. --more 1252 Local Time 0952 GMT
