Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico early on Wednesday as the strongest ever storm to make landfall on the country’s west coast.
Otis went from a Category 1 to Category 5 hurricane in only 12 hours — the fastest rate ever recorded in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the eye of Otis made landfall close to the resort town of Acapulco around 12.25am local time with winds of 165mph. Forecasters described it as “a nightmare scenario” for southern Mexico.
The storm had lost power by Wednesday morning and was downgraded to a Category 2 storm as it moved into Guerrero state. But high winds, torrential rain and flooding were still posing serious threats to the region.
The entire city of Acapulco lost power overnight. Videos from the scene showed palm trees stripped bare of their leaves, and badly damaged building including a shopping centre and hospital.
