27 dead as Hurricane Otis wreaks havoc in Mexico

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY(AA) - At least 27 people are dead and four are missing after Hurricane Otis made landfall in Guerrero, a coastal state in eastern Mexico, the government said Thursday.

Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodriguez said international forecasters did not foresee the storm evolving as it did, and what happened Tuesday was "atypical" and an "unlikely scenario."

In 24 hours, Otis went from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane, seriously devastating the coastline.

Winds severely damaged infrastructure and services, leaving portions of the population without communication.
The federal government was unable to communicate with affected areas since the storm hit early Wednesday.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador made an emergency trip late Wednesday from Mexico City to Acapulco -- an international tourist center heavily afflicted by the hurricane.

Lopez Obrador reported that 80% of hotels in Acapulco were affected.
Currently, there is no concrete accounting of the damage to homes or the number of displaced or affected residents.

The hurricane caused road closures, including the highway between Mexico City and Acapulco, the busiest in the country.
It left more than half a million people without electricity.

Damage to hospitals in Acapulco resulted in the transfer of 200 patients.

Health officials announced the deployment of a task force to ensure medicine and other supplies would continue.
More than 10,000 National Guard troops have been deployed to assist victims.