Marty, a Category Two storm on the Saffir-Simpson five-category scale, slammed into La Paz, the state capital, knocking out electricity, sparking flooding and knocking out power to thousands of homes, the National Weather Service said.

Cota Montano said one man died trying to swim across a rain-swelled stream in the town of Los Cabos, on the western side of the peninsula.

Two others were listed as missing in the same town. About seven others were trapped in three vehicles while attempting to cross the stream.

Hundreds of homes and roads were flooded in the capital, authorities said. Standing water was 1.5 meters (yards) deep in some areas there, and the overloaded sewer system broke down.

The ports of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo were closed, authorities said.

Admiral Joaquin Garcia, the local navy chief, said 35 yachts had sunk and a hundred other craft had been damaged.

Las Cabos, La Paz and other tourist destinations in the state were without electricity. Schools were also closed to serve as shelters for about 10,000 residents who had been driven from their homes.

Authorities closed ports and airports on the peninsula.

Lorenzo Arrillaga, of the National Water Commission utility, said the storm "brought precipitation of about 300 millimeters (11 inches) and is moving at 18 kilometers (11 miles) per hour to the northwest of Cabo San Lucas."

Marty made landfall Monday morning in Baja California Sur with 140 kilometer-(87-mile-)per-hour winds, with gusts of up to 165 kilometersmiles) per hour, causing severe flooding in homes and roadways.

TERRA.WIRE