Increased Aid Reaches Acapulco as Hurricane Otis’ Death Toll Climbs to 39 Amid Ongoing Recovery Efforts

Additional aid is being dispatched to Mexico’s storm-stricken Pacific coastline, as the casualty count from Hurricane Otis continues to rise. Recovery teams are discovering more victims in Acapulco’s harbor as well as beneath toppled trees and assorted wreckage left by the storm.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stated on Saturday that his political adversaries are attempting to exaggerate the death toll for their own political advantage. Nonetheless, few believe that the current official death count of 39 will remain static, as hundreds of families are still seeking information about their missing relatives.

Hurricane Otis made landfall early on Wednesday, carrying with it fierce winds of up to 165 mph (266 kph). The hurricane intensified so quickly that residents had scant time to take precautionary measures.

Kristian Vera, a 44-year-old fisherwoman, observed the destruction from an Acapulco beach on Saturday. She counted dozens of submerged boats, three of which were her own, either indicated by floating buoys or barely visible above the waterline.

Despite losing her means of income to Otis’ ravaging journey across Mexico’s Pacific coast, Vera felt comparatively lucky. She had earlier witnessed a body being retrieved from the water and had seen families in search of their missing members.

The Mexican government updated the official count of deaths to 39 and reported 10 individuals missing as of Saturday. Vera, among others, anticipates that these numbers will likely increase. This is partly due to individuals who set sail when Otis was still categorized as a tropical storm, only to face its rapid escalation into a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane within 12 hours.

To salvage their submerged vessels, Vera and four others swam to them using empty fuel containers as flotation devices. She elaborated that among the deceased were fellow fishers who had been tending to their boats, as well as yacht captains who had been instructed by their employers to secure their vessels when Otis was still considered a tropical storm.

Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez, in a recorded video message alongside President López Obrador, indicated that the preliminary cause of death for the 39 victims was “asphyxiation due to submersion.” She stated that identification of the victims was still pending and investigations were ongoing.

The death toll increased by 12 from an initial figure of 27, announced on Thursday. The human cost of the storm has, however, become a subject of dispute. Rodríguez also mentioned that the number of missing individuals had increased to 10.

In the aftermath, Acapulco witnessed a concerted relief effort taking form four days post-impact. Lines formed at fueling stations, and government personnel alongside volunteers worked to clear streets and remove debris. Partial mobile network connectivity was restored in some upscale hotel areas, and public phone charging stations were set up.

However, the situation remained grim in outlying neighborhoods, where the government’s presence was notably lacking. In these areas, residents navigated through muddy, flooded streets to access discovered stockpiles of food, taking what they could carry.

The city’s isolation exacerbated the delay in aid. Due to the hurricane’s sudden intensification on Tuesday, no advance preparations had been made, leaving the city of nearly one million residents cut off initially.

Search teams faced the arduous task of locating deceased and missing persons, often hindered by the widespread debris.

Amidst ongoing struggles to secure basic necessities like water, official statements indicate that the military presence in the area is set to expand to 15,000. President López Obrador has also directed the armed forces to establish security checkpoints to prevent looting.

The national electricity company has reported that power has been restored to 55% of affected customers, yet more than 200,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity. According to federal civil defense statistics, 220,000 homes sustained damage due to the storm.

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Contributions to this report were made by Big Big News writer Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City.

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More about Hurricane Otis Recovery

• Official Death Toll Updates
• President López Obrador’s Statement on Death Toll
• Meteorological Data on Hurricane Otis
• Acapulco’s Current Situation
• Federal Civil Defense Statistics on Damaged Homes
• Recovery Efforts and Aid Distribution
• Political Reactions to Hurricane Otis’ Aftermath