The number of people dead and missing due to Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm that hammered the Mexican Pacific resort city of Acapulco last week, has risen to nearly 100, authorities in the state of Guerrero said on Monday.
Otis battered Acapulco with winds of 165 miles per hour (266 km per hour) on Wednesday, flooding the city, tearing roofs from homes, hotels and other businesses, submerging vehicles, and severing communications as well as road and air connections.
Looting broke out as the city’s population of nearly 900,000 became increasingly desperate for food and water.
Many residents of Acapulco were still struggling to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.
The cost of damage from the hurricane could climb as high as $15 billion according to estimates, and Mexico has sent some 17,000 members of the armed forces to keep order and help distribute tons of food and supplies in Acapulco.
ATM machines have also been hit in the city.
