Acapulco (His). The number of people killed and missing due to Hurricane Otis that hit Mexico’s Acapulco city last week has increased to 100. Hurricane Otis devastated Acapulco on Wednesday with winds gusting up to 165 mph (266 kph), according to Guerrero state officials. After which the city was flooded due to which roofs of houses, hotels collapsed, vehicles were submerged and communication as well as road and air links were disrupted.
This chaos has resulted in a population of 900,000 facing food and water shortages and incidents of looting. Evelyn Salgado, the governor of Acapulco’s home state of Guerrero, said 45 people were confirmed dead and 47 others were missing, citing figures from state prosecutors. Mexico’s federal civil protection authorities said Sunday afternoon that 48 people were killed, including 43 in Acapulco and five in nearby Coyuca de Benitez.
According to the Guerrero state government, the dead included an American, a British and a Canadian citizen. Fishermen and workers on tourist boats gathered at Acapulco’s Playa Honda on Sunday afternoon to search for missing colleagues and friends, concerned authorities were not doing enough. Luis Alberto Medina, a fisherman, said he was searching for six people who worked in the port. “It was really horrible,” Medina said. “We have already found the bodies of the others.”
Governor Salgado gave the information over the phone with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Who, during a regular government press conference, urged local officials to ensure that basic goods are being delivered to the population of Acapulco.
According to estimates, the cost of damage caused by the storm could reach $15 billion. The country’s government has sent about 17,000 members of the armed forces to help distribute tons of food and supplies to Acapulco. ATM machines in the city have also been affected.
The Finance Ministry said on Monday that two service points would be set up at branches of an Armed Forces Development Bank in Acapulco to enable people to withdraw cash. Access to food and water remains challenging.
