Members of the Mexican Army clean up a road after Hurricane Otis ripped through Chilpancingo, state of Guerrero, Mexico, Oct. 25, 2023. Hurricane Otis battered much of the coastline along Mexico's southern Pacific Coast state of Guerrero after making landfall Wednesday morning as a category 5 storm, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday. (Photo by Dassaev Tellez Adame/Xinhua)
MEXICO CITY, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Hurricane Otis battered much of the coastline along Mexico's southern Pacific Coast state of Guerrero after making landfall Wednesday morning as a category 5 storm, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday.
"Communications have been completely lost," he told journalists at the National Palace in Mexico City during his daily press conference.
The popular beach resort of Acapulco, one of the country's main tourism destinations, and nearby towns suffered extensive damage from the sudden onslaught of heavy rains and lashing winds, he said.
"It is a phenomenon, because in a very short time - 12 hours - it began to gain strength and become a category 5 storm," he added.
So far there have been no reports of casualties, but landslides and material damage have affected the highway to Acapulco and other roads in the area, he said.
Mexico's National Water Commission has warned of unusually heavy rains caused by Otis in parts of Guerrero and Oaxaca states, both of which are home to large indigenous communities. ■
This photo taken on Oct. 25, 2023 shows a blocked road after Hurricane Otis ripped through Chilpancingo, state of Guerrero, Mexico. Hurricane Otis battered much of the coastline along Mexico's southern Pacific Coast state of Guerrero after making landfall Wednesday morning as a category 5 storm, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday. (Photo by Dassaev Tellez Adame/Xinhua)
Staff members clean up a road after Hurricane Otis ripped through Chilpancingo, state of Guerrero, Mexico, Oct. 25, 2023. Hurricane Otis battered much of the coastline along Mexico's southern Pacific Coast state of Guerrero after making landfall Wednesday morning as a category 5 storm, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday. (Photo by Dassaev Tellez Adame/Xinhua)
Members of the Mexican Army and the National Guard clean up a road after Hurricane Otis ripped through Chilpancingo, state of Guerrero, Mexico, Oct. 25, 2023. Hurricane Otis battered much of the coastline along Mexico's southern Pacific Coast state of Guerrero after making landfall Wednesday morning as a category 5 storm, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday. (Photo by Dassaev Tellez Adame/Xinhua)