Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 45; dozens still missing
Rescue and recovery workers searched the debris with cadaver dogs Monday as authorities continued to assess the destruction.
Otis stunned forecasters last week when it strengthened from a tropical storm to category 5 in 12 hours, the fastest such leap recorded in the region. It made landfall early Wednesday as the strongest cyclone to hit the country’s Pacific Coast since record-keeping began.
The storm blocked roads and disrupted communications. At least 15,000 security forces have been deployed to the region, and around 2,000 technicians are working to restore power. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday he was working with large food distributors to restore the food supply.
But as the government touts its response in López Obrador’s daily news conferences and on social media, people in Acapulco say help has been slow to arrive. Neighbors have been sharing what supplies they have left; supermarkets and department stores have been raided for food and other essentials.
Five days after Otis ground its way inland, the large road tunnel that leads to Acapulco remained pitch black on Monday morning, lit only by the headlights of the cars that ventured through. With many traffic lights still out of order, soldiers directed motorists, some driving with shattered windshields, through the busier intersections.
Elsewhere, people waited in long lines to receive aid or buy bus tickets to leave town.
The stench of decomposed food hung over dusty streets littered with trash, debris, fallen palm trees and loose cables. Department stores and restaurants on one tourist strip were destroyed.
Salgado, the Guerrero governor, said most avenues were now accessible.
Of the 45 people confirmed dead, 16 bodies have been turned over to their families, Salgado said. The dead included three foreigners: One citizen each of the United States, Canada and Britain. The three were residents, Salgado said, not tourists.
