Hurricane Otis, which hit the coast of Mexico near the famous seaside resort of Acapulco on Wednesday, has left at least 48 victims. As far as we know, six people are still missing. International news agencies reported this on Monday. Most people died by drowning after Otis flooded the streets. Counting the number of victims from Storm Otis was slow, because residents had no access to electricity and telephone connections for a long time.
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this photo series about the complete chaos caused by Hurricane Otis
Otis developed from a tropical storm to a maximum hurricane (five on the Saffir-Simpson scale) in just six hours. The hurricane made landfall off the Pacific coast of Mexico with wind speeds of about 270 kilometers per hour. Because the hurricane strengthened so quickly, residents did not have time to protect buildings or stock up on food and water. According to the government, at least 273,000 homes and 600 hotels have been damaged in the area that relies heavily on tourism for income. Research agency Enki Research estimates that the damage could amount to 15 billion dollars (14.2 billion euros).
According to the AFP news agency, President Andrés Manuel Lépez Obrador visited the disaster area on Sunday and spoke with aid workers. The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that there were 263 foreigners in the coastal area when the hurricane hit. They are said to have all left Acapulco alive by now.