Mexico assesses damage caused by Hurricane Otis

October 26, 2023

Mexican officials are assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Otis, a powerful storm which made landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast on Wednesday.

The resort of Acapulco is thought to have been one of the worst hit but with communications cut, little official information has emerged.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador travelled to the city by land as local airports remain closed.

At one point, he had to walk as debris from mudslides blocked the highway.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador looks out of the window as the vehicle transporting his is stuck in mud during a visit to the Kilometro 42 community, near Acapulco, Guerrero State, Mexico, after the passage of Hurricane Otis, on October 25, 2023.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
The car the president was travelling in got stuck in the mud
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (3-L), accompanied by members of his cabinet and other people, walks among debris as they visit the El Kilometro 42 community, near Acapulco, Guerrero State, Mexico, after the passage of Hurricane Otis, on October 25, 2023.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
"The army is bringing machinery and we're going to try to reopen [the highway] as soon as possible," the president said.

So far there are no reports of any deaths but officials have warned that with landlines and mobile phone coverage disrupted, they have not been able to get a clear picture of the situation.

Footage shot by tourists on their phones shows debris littering the streets of Acapulco and, buildings with shattered windows and roofs blown off.

Many areas were also flooded.

The ministry of defence said 8,000 soldiers had been deployed to Acapulco and towns along the coast to help with the clear up.

Hurricane Otis made landfall at 00:25 local time (06:25GMT) on Wednesday. It had intensified from a tropical storm into a category five hurricane - the most severe category - in just 12 hours.

Read: The mystery of why storms suddenly intensify

It brought winds of 165 miles per hour (265km/h) to the coastal areas before easing in strength.

Citlali Portillo, who works in the tourism sector in Acapulco described to Televisa TV how "the building shook as if there was an earthquake".

Videos showed guests sheltering in bathrooms and other areas without windows so they would not be injured by flying glass as windows were blown in by the wind.

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Mexico assesses damage caused by Hurricane Otis

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