Hurricane Otis tears through Acapulco, Mexico as a Category 4 storm

ACAPULCO, Mexico, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Hurricane Otis slammed into the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco as a Category 4 storm early on Wednesday, destroying hotels and sending tourists fleeing for cover as it lashed the southern Pacific coast with heavy rain and strong winds. .

Videos posted on social media showed rooms destroyed by the hurricane’s passage, ceilings and walls open, and cars partially submerged in floodwaters, as the southern state of Guerrero woke up to the chaos left behind by Otis.

Footage from one hospital on social media showed nurses evacuating patients from their rooms to protect them from Otis, one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the region.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there were no immediate reports of deaths from the storm, but warned that authorities were having difficulties getting updates.

“The hurricane is still affecting the region and communications are completely cut off,” he told reporters at a regular government press conference.

Mexico’s National Water Agency said in a statement that Otis has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane but remains over Guerrero state and will continue to dump heavy rains across much of the region, especially in coastal areas.

Mexican civil protection authorities reported power outages across Guerrero, while flights to and from Acapulco were suspended and classes canceled due to Hurricane Otis, which shook hotels and forced tourists into shelters.

At about 0600 local time (1200 GMT), Otis was 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Acapulco after rapidly weakening as it moved inland, the US National Hurricane Center said.

However, it was still packing winds of 110 miles (177 km) per hour, causing heavy rain and flash flooding with hurricane-force winds across wide swaths of southern Mexico.

Authorities said Otis could bring rain of up to 51 centimeters to parts of Guerrero and Oaxaca states, trigger mudslides, “potentially catastrophic” storms, and life-threatening waves and alter current conditions.

Conagua warned of waves 6 to 8 meters (20 to 26 feet) high off Guerrero and parts of Oaxaca.

In Guerrero, authorities opened storm shelters, and the National Guard was ready for rescue and evacuations.

The Defense Ministry had drawn up a disaster plan before the storm arrived, Lopez Obrador said late Tuesday night, as soldiers patrolled the empty beaches of Acapulco.

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