By Luis de Jesus
Nov 26, 2023, 8:54 PM EST
After a month of the devastating passage of Hurricane Otis, the search for people continues, but the relatives of the missing demand that work be intensified to find the bodies of their loved ones.
Families in the midst of protests reject the official figure of 50 dead and 30 missing because the bodies do not appear, particularly those of dozens of sailors. “Our lives stopped,” they told the EFE news agency.
On October 25, Acapulco experienced moments of anguish due to the force of the sea that damaged several buildings and also ended the lives of several inhabitants.
Some survivors, like Alejandro Cortés, who worked for 17 years on the yacht Vikingo, remembered what those difficult times were like for this Mexican city.
“We were unprotected. Receiving the impact of the hurricane in a house one takes refuge, but in the sea there is nowhere to run. Anyone who says no (was afraid) is a lie, feeling that wind, that noise and the heavy rain towards humanity was all devastating. It was really difficult to face it,” he said.
The captain left that day with his sailor on the boat to take it to a protected area of the bay, but Otis was not like other storms or hurricanes. That day they saw how the phenomenon intensified, the rain and especially the wind, which reached 270 kilometers per hour.
Due to the complex situation, the machines were flooded and the ship was left adrift. Her boat had much better luck than others and she ended up in an area of rocks where other boats had already run aground. Then, upon collision, both crew members were able to get off and jump towards a wall to take shelter.
Another resident who questions the number of dead and missing that the Mexican government has shared is Susana Ramos, who is looking for her husband Rubén Torres, sailor on the yacht El Sereno, one of the 614 vessels that, according to authorities, were in the bay. and ended up damaged or sunk.
“We no longer know what day it is, we are still on the day of the hurricane, waiting for our family member, waiting for a car to arrive and for them to get out,” said the woman, who also recalled that her husband sent her an audio asking for help around midnight.
The same happens with Ángela Guerrero, who is looking for her nephew Ulises Díaz Salgado, who was working on the yacht Litos. The family member considers that the search actions by the authorities are not sufficient. She also pointed out that the information she has given them has been erratic.
“They tell us several things, that he is hospitalized, that they sent him to (Mexico City). But he has already gone to look at the hospitals and we have not had any response,” he said.
Keep reading:
• Mexico: The death toll increases to 50 a month after Hurricane Otis
• They show what Andrés García’s house looked like after Hurricane Otis
• López Obrador promised to “put Acapulco back on its feet” for Christmas after Hurricane Otis