Strong winds from Cyclone Yakecan hit the coast of Uruguay

Uruguay declared a meteorological alert on Tuesday due to very strong winds and heavy rains, which left at least one person dead and thousands of homes without electricity, authorities said.

A "subtropical cyclone" hit the southeastern coast of the territory, generating sustained winds from the south between 60-80 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 100 km/h, according to the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (Inumet).

The orange alert, the second in severity in the Uruguayan scheme, was issued for the southern half of the country, although weather conditions deteriorated especially in the departments of Maldonado and Rocha, on the Atlantic coast. Both suspended primary and secondary classes.

The Uruguayan National Emergency System (Sinae) had evacuation centres in the region to receive families who chose to leave their homes until the risk diminished, especially residents on the seafront.

The cyclone, dubbed Yakecan by meteorologists -- "the sound of the sky" in Tupi-Guaraní -- hit Punta del Este, some 100 km east of Montevideo, with particular force.

The wind knocked down a tree in a house in the north of Montevideo and killed a 24-year-old man who lived there, the agency said.

By noon Tuesday, some 24,000 homes had suffered power outages due to the storm, state power company UTE said.