Mexico
Looting after hurricane: National Guard patrols
“Otis” hit the coast of the Mexican seaside resort of Acapulco as a hurricane of the highest level 5. photo
© Marco Ugarte/AP/dpa
Hurricane Otis leaves a path of destruction across Mexico. Many people are missing the bare necessities, others use this to fill their pockets. Armed security guards are now guarding shops.
In view of numerous lootings After Hurricane Otis, the National Guard deployed 1,700 officers to the Mexican seaside resort of Acapulco.
The emergency services guarded shops to restore public order, as the National Guard announced. According to a report in the newspaper “Milenio”, the guards also set up roadblocks and checked cars.
Numerous looting
According to media reports, there was a lot of looting in Acapulco after “Otis” passed through. People not only took food and drinking water with them, but also electrical appliances and luxury goods. The employers’ association Coparmex called on the authorities to take decisive action against it. “The tragedy that people are living through must not be exacerbated by unjustified looting,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the National Guard and armed forces distributed food and drinking water to those in need. Emergency services also continued the clean-up work, removing fallen trees and debris and clearing the streets.
“Otis” hit the coast as a hurricane of the highest level 5 on Wednesday night with sustained wind speeds of almost 270 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 330 kilometers per hour. In just twelve hours it had developed from a tropical storm into a dangerous hurricane. It then lost strength over land and finally dissipated.
At least 27 people die and four are missing
According to authorities, at least 27 people were killed and another four were officially missing. However, many relatives have not yet been able to contact their relatives and have published search requests on Facebook, WhatsApp and the news platform X, formerly Twitter.
On Friday, 14 flights took off from Acapulco to fly stranded tourists out of the disaster area, the television station Foro TV reported. Around 100,000 vacationers are said to have been in Acapulco at the time of the storm. “According to the knowledge of the Foreign Office, German citizens who are in the region are also affected by the effects of the hurricane,” was heard from the Foreign Office in Berlin. “The German Embassy in Mexico is working hard to clarify the matter and is in close contact with the Mexican authorities.”
Popular holiday destination
Acapulco is known for its cliff divers and luxury hotels. The holiday destination is also popular with low-budget tourists. The international jet set once stayed there. However, due to rampant violent crime, fewer and fewer tourists have recently come from abroad. Today it is primarily the residents of Mexico City who spend their holidays or long weekends there.
The region’s tourism infrastructure was hit hard by the storm. “Otis” devastated hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping centers in Acapulco. According to initial estimates, the storm could have caused economic damage worth 15 billion US dollars (14.2 billion euros).