Tepic, Mexico ? Hurricane Kenna crashed into Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, destroying houses and cutting roads in fishing towns while burying hotel swimming pools under seawater in the resort of Puerto Vallarta.

There were no immediate reports of death, but officials evacuated more than 20,000 people from coastal areas before Hurricane Kenna hit land about 40 miles northwest of Tepic with winds of 140 mph.

Waves thundered over the coastal boulevard of Puerto Vallarta, 60 miles to the southwest, and swept over hotel swimming pools. Power was out to much of the city.

The brunt of the storm hit Nayarit state, where Gov. Antonio Echeverria met aides by the light of a battery-powered lamp to monitor the crisis. Power was knocked out in parts of the state capital of Tepic, a city of 250,000 people, and officials cut the rest because of danger from downed power lines.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm hit land near the fishing and tourist town of San Blas. Sustained winds which had reached 160 mph on Thursday dropped to 140 mph before the storm hit the coast. They then slipped to 80 mph as the storm raced into north-central Mexico in the direction of Texas at 24 mph.

Debris litters the streets of Puerto Vallarta after Hurricane Kenna crashed into Mexico's Pacific coast. Friday's storm destroyed houses and wrecked resort areas.

The Hurricane Center said the storm might re-form near the Texas Gulf coast late today.

Nayarit Civil Defense Director Jose Heriberto Betancourt said 20,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas of his state. Neighboring Jalisco and Sinaloa states reported thousands more evacuated there.