© Reuters. People stand near street stalls damaged by Hurricane Otis near the entrance to Acapulco, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, Mexico October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero
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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -At least 27 people died due to Hurricane Otis, Mexico’s government said on Thursday after one of the most powerful storms to hit the country smashed into the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco early the day before.
Otis flooded streets, ripped roofs off homes and hotels and severed communications, road and air access, leaving a trail of devastation across Acapulco. Four more people are still missing, the government said.
“What Acapulco suffered was really disastrous,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told a morning press conference.
Those missing are believed to be members of the navy, Lopez Obrador said.
The storm, which intensified unexpectedly rapidly off the Pacific coast, was so powerful that it tore large trees up by the roots, the government said. It flooded hospitals, and patients had to be evacuated to safer areas.
Operations at Acapulco’s international airport remain suspended, officials said, citing structural damages.
Nearly 8,400 members of Mexico’s army, air force and national guard were deployed in and near Acapulco to assist in cleanup efforts, the defense ministry said.
Classes were canceled for students across the state for a second day, and Governor Evelyn Salgado said on social media that authorities were working to restore electricity and reactivate drinking water pumps in Acapulco.
Mexican energy company Pemex said in a statement there was a secure supply of gasoline and diesel for the port of Acapulco and the entire state of Guerrero.
Mexico’s state power utility CFE had over 1,300 employees working to restore power, it said on Wednesday evening, when some 300,000 people remained without electricity.
Telmex, the Mexican telecommunications firm controlled by the family of tycoon Carlos Slim, said it had restored its network in Acapulco by Thursday morning.
The port city’s international airport was closed after Otis wrecked the control tower, cut telecommunications and left access roads blocked.