It is nothing like the once exotic and romantic resort of the famous Acapulco in Mexico.

Category 5 Hurricane Otis, the highest on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, hit Acapulco, a city of about 780,000 people that lives mainly off tourism, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The typhoon caused massive damage and claimed the lives of at least 48 people, while 6 others are still missingaccording to a newer account of the authorities, who continue to distribute aid to those affected.

The previous official tally put the death toll at 43, most of them from drowning, but five more deaths have since been reported in Cojuca de Benitez, a community that neighbors Acapulco.

A statement from the federal government said the number of people missing in Guerrero state had dropped to six, down from the 36 it had reported a few hours earlier.

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that 263 foreigners were in Acapulco when the hurricane hit, among them 34 Americans, 18 French and 17 Cubans. All were found to be in good health and all have now left the world famous resort.

acapulco

According to media, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador yesterday inspected the affected areas from the air, had meetings with officials and members of rescue teams.

Casualty counts and aid distribution were slow as the typhoon caused power and telecommunications outages. The operation of the networks was gradually restored over the weekend.

Humanitarian aid from the government and private agencies began to be distributed on Friday at noon, after the airport and road network reopened.

Shops and supermarkets were looted before help began to arrive. Some 17,000 members of the security forces were deployed in the city to guarantee security.

“We are moving forward with the effective distribution of humanitarian aid,” assured Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado via X (formerly Twitter).