Hurricane Otis hit the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco as a Category 5 storm on Wednesday, battering hotels and sending tourists running for cover as it pummelled the coast with torrential rain and fierce winds.
One of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the region, it strengthened unexpectedly at sea and barreled into the country’s Pacific coast with winds of 165 miles per hour.
Videos posted on social media showed rooms wrecked by the passing of the hurricane, ceilings and walls rent open and cars partly submerged in floodwaters as the state of Guerrero awoke to disarray.
Debris was strewn all around lobbies, patios and hotel balconies as the hurricane wreaked havoc across the shoreline. Phone communications were seriously hit by the storm, making it hard to present a precise picture of the damage.
Luisa Pena, a shaken hotel guest in Acapulco, related how she hid in a cupboard.
“I literally started to pray,” she said in a video on TikTok. “Panic took hold of me to such an extent that all I asked for was just one more chance,” she added, saying her room had been “destroyed” as Otis ripped through the building.
Footage from one hospital on social media showed nurses evacuating patients from their rooms to keep them safe.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there were no immediate reports of deaths but said authorities were struggling to obtain updates.
“The hurricane is still affecting the area and communications are completely down,” he said.
Mexico’s civil protection authorities reported power outages throughout Guerrero, while flights to and from Acapulco were suspended.
Otis could bring up to 20in (51cm) of rain to parts of Guerrero and Oaxaca states, mudslides, a “potentially catastrophic” storm surge, and life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, authorities said.
There were warnings of 20- to 26ft surf off Guerrero and parts of Oaxaca. In Guerrero, authorities opened storm shelters, and the National Guard was ready for rescues and evacuations.
