Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

100 dead or missing in Mexico from hurricane


Tue 31 Oct 2023 | 09:25 AM
File photo
File photo
Basant Ahmed

The number of people dead and missing due to Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm which hammered the Mexican Pacific resort city of Acapulco last week, has risen to 100, the government of the southern state of Guerrero said on Monday, Reuters reported. 

Otis battered Acapulco with winds of 165 miles per hour (266 km per hour) on Wednesday, flooding the city, tearing roofs from homes, hotels and other businesses, submerging vehicles, and severing communications as well as road and air connections.

Looting broke out as the city's population of nearly 900,000 became increasingly desperate for food and water.

The government of Guerrero, Acapulco's home state, said in a statement 46 people were dead and 54 others were missing.

On Sunday, Mexico's federal civil protection authorities said there were 48 dead, comprising 43 in Acapulco and five in nearby Coyuca de Benitez. Among the dead are a U.S. citizen, a Briton and a Canadian, according to Guerrero's government.