By Deutsche Welle
30 Oct 2023, 10:14 PM EDT
An American, a Canadian and a British among those killed by Hurricane Otis, which devastated Acapulco, in the Mexican Pacific. Death toll fell from 48 to 45. The three foreigners “were residents, they were not tourists in the port of Acapulco,” declared the governor of the state of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, during President Andrés Manuel’s daily press conference. Lopez Obrador.
On Sunday, the Mexican foreign ministry said 263 foreigners were in the port when Otis made landfall on Wednesday, including 34 Americans, 18 French and 17 Cubans. The governor, contacted by phone during the press conference, revised the number of victims downward. “So far we have – according to the preliminary report of the prosecution – the unfortunate death of 45 people and 47 people who have not been located,” she explained.
Some 274,000 homes and 600 hotels affected
The Navy deployed this Monday search operations for those missing at sea, an AFP photographer observed. “The update is constant. “It is being done with the participation of the state prosecutor’s office (of Guerrero),” said López Obrador. Some 274,000 homes and 600 hotels were affected, while the power supply was restored to 60%, the government said.
The hurricane that hit at dawn as a category 5, the maximum on the Saffir-Simpson scale, left a trail of destruction in this city of 780,000 inhabitants that lives off tourism and that decades ago was a favorite destination for major international celebrities.
After the fury of the winds and the intense rains, looting of shops and supermarkets followed. 80% of the hotel sector suffered some type of damage, according to the government, which next Wednesday will announce a reconstruction plan with credits that will privilege the commercial and tourism sectors, the port’s main employers. According to the consulting firm Enki Research, specialized in natural phenomena, Otis left about $15 billion in damage.
Meanwhile, the distribution of aid from the government, NGOs and citizens continued, which began on Friday after the reopening of the airport and the resumption of road traffic. Some 6,350 soldiers participate in the contingency plan.
In the next few hours, 26 tons of food, belongings, lifesaving and rescue equipment donated by the government of Venezuela will also arrive, the foreign ministry of that country announced this Monday. Meanwhile, port residents continued to organize to repair damage and remove debris, amid complaints about the slowness with which assistance is arriving.
jov (afp, teneit)