Hurricane Otis: 27 Killed In Acapulco, 4 People Still Missing After Rains, Storm Surge

(Photo : Getty Images/Oscar Guerrero Ramirez)

The onslaught of Hurricane Otis left 27 individuals dead in Acapulco, Mexico.

Authorities also said that at least four individuals have remained missing following the heavy rains and storm surge.

Officials said that Otis struck ashore shortly after midnight on Wednesday packing 165mph winds and torrential rainfall. The weather disturbance slammed into the coastal city where residents had little time to evacuate or prepare.

Authorities said that Otis could be considered as the strongest storm to make landfall over Mexico's west coast.

Further, the hurricane also underwent explosive intensification from a Category 1 to Category 5 in just 12 hours, and this phenomenon surprised the meteorologists.

Nightmare Scenario

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) earlier described Otis as a "nightmare scenario" for the region.

At 400 PM CDT (2100 UTC), the remnants of Otis were located near latitude 19.1 North, longitude 100.8 West.

The remnants are moving toward the north-northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue tonight.

Weather experts said maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 985 mb (29.09 inches).

When it comes to the amount of rainfall, the remnants of Otis are expected to produce additional

rainfall totals of 2-4 inches (locally as high as 6) through Thursday across Guerrero, Mexico, and Morelos.

Meanwhile, a rainfall total of 9 inches was already observed at Cigua de Benitez in the state of Guerrero.

The said rainfall would produce flash and urban flooding, along with mudslides in areas of higher terrain.

Otis' Effects

The said hurricane resulted in widespread devastation across the city as well as in the rural, mountain villages.

Thousands of windows were also blown out in apartment buildings as well as in hotels while facades were stripped and ceilings collapsed.

The floods were also widespread and residents were forced to pick their way through inches of mud in the streets to look for their basic commodities.

There were reports that the response measures were slow after a landslide blocked the main highway to Acapulco.

This then damaged airports and left tens of thousands without communication or cell phone service.

The government has not said how many individuals have been wounded but it has already declared a state of emergency in the region.

Meanwhile, in a matter of hours, Otis had already elevated from a tropical storm up to the most powerful category of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale before hitting land.

This development had surprised the weather experts.

Affected residents recalled that there seemed to be an earthquake when Otis hit the area.

Mexican officials considered Otis as the most powerful storm ever to strike Mexico's Pacific coast.

The country's defense ministry said that nearly 8,400 members of Mexico's army, air force and national guard had been deployed in and around Acapulco to assist in the cleanup.

Acapulco is considered as the biggest city in the southern state of Guerrero, one of the poorest in Mexico.

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