an airlift set up in Acapulco to evacuate tourists

An operation to evacuate tourists in particular. An airlift was set up on Friday October 27 for people stranded in Acapulco (Mexico), the government announced. The famous resort town on the Pacific coast was devastated by Hurricane Otis. The authorities report a toll of 27 dead and four missing.

“Acapulco Airport Already Reestablished for Airlift,” said Mexican Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval, according to whom three planes were scheduled to leave this morning. These are commercial flights for “tourists and local people”but also in order to send “specialist doctors”he detailed.

Dozens of people arrived at the airport with suitcases and backpacks, an AFP team noted. “We are very happy, grateful to life which gives us the chance to continue”, says Clara Elena Albo, originally from the capital Mexico City, on vacation with her husband in the seaside city.

An isolated town

The city found itself devastated and isolated (roads and airport cut, as well as the internet) after the passage of Hurricane Otis, force 5, on Wednesday. It made landfall with winds of more than 250 km/h.

In total, 80% of the city’s hotels were affected. Businesses and homes were destroyed, streets flooded and trees uprooted. A large part of Acapulco remained without electricity or telephone on Friday, in addition to a shortage of food which caused looting in supermarkets.