Mexico: Hurricane Otis devastates Acapulco

With wind speeds of up to 270 kilometers per hour, Otis swept across the west coast of Mexico, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake: The hurricane tore roofs off houses, flooded streets and disrupted communication links. The area around the world-famous seaside resort of Acapulco (pictured) was particularly badly affected.

Otis weakened to a Category 1 hurricane after landfall. In the meantime, it has dissipated, the Mexican weather service announced. The exact extent of the damage in the state of Guerrero is still unclear: landslides and uprooted trees blocked roads and highways, and power and mobile phone networks were down.

Normally, Acapulco's dream beaches attract countless visitors — now they are covered with debris and many houses have been destroyed. Some 40,000 tourists are said to be stranded.

Flooded streets in Acapulco: The hurricane also caused severe flooding in the coastal region. And it's not over yet: "Torrential" rains could follow in Guerrero as an aftermath of the hurricane, and "heavy" rains are expected in the neighboring northern state of Michoacán, the weather service warned.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador traveled to the Pacific metropolis, located about 400 kilometers south of Mexico City, on Wednesday to inspect the damage and discuss further relief measures with Governor Evelyn Salgado, the newspaper El Universal reported.

Military trucks transport heavy equipment needed for the cleanup. Nearly 8,400 members of the Mexican Armed Forces are deployed in and around Acapulco to support the work, the Defense Ministry said.

The storm cut the region largely off from the outside world. Many people got stuck on roads that got damaged — they need to be repaired before the aid convoys announced by President Obrador can reach the region.

The earthquake early warning system on the Pacific coast was also damaged. According to the operator, communication with at least 27 of the approximately 100 sensors has been interrupted. Should a strong quake occur near the damaged sensors, it would be impossble to warn the population. The damage to traffic routes is delaying repairs to the system.

Residents of the coastal areas had been called upon in advance to seek safety. Around 500 emergency shelters have been set up for this purpose. But not everyone left their homes — and some of those who stayed behind used the chaos after the storm to loot. Like this man pushing a fully loaded shopping cart across a flooded street.