Hurricane Otis Batters Acapulco, Isolating Iconic Beach Resort

October 25, ACAPULCO, Mexico (Reuters) One of the worst hurricanes to ever hit Mexico's Pacific Coast, Hurricane Otis, slammed into the seaside resort of Acapulco early on Wednesday, damaging important infrastructure and leaving the city without electricity and without communication.

Social media footage showed Otis destroying buildings, tearing apart walls and ceilings, smashing windows, and partially submerging automobiles in floodwaters as the unusual Category 5 hurricane made landfall in the southern state of Guerrero.

Remaining pieces of twisted trees were scattered across downtown Acapulco, and debris was thrown across streets, hotel balconies, patios, and lobbies. Residents were shut off from the outside world due to damaged infrastructure and downed telecommunications connections.

The airport for the over 900,000-person metropolis lost electricity, and Otis obstructed surrounding roads, so it was closed till further notice, according to the transport ministry.

In an attempt to provide assistance, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador drove to Acapulco, but he was delayed because of storm-related road restrictions, according to social media videos.

Although there were no early reports of fatalities, officials found it challenging to determine the full scope of the damage due to the power outages. In private, a few authorities voiced worry that Otis would have probably resulted in some deaths.