Mexico City, Nov 6 (EFE).- The government of Mexico raised the death toll from Hurricane Otis to 48 on Monday, with the same number missing.
Photograph of the hotel area affected after the passage of Hurricane Otis, in the resort of Acapulco, in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, on Nov. 3, 2023. EFE/David Guzmán
Otis hit the southern state of Guerrero on Oct. 25 as a category 5 hurricane, causing huge destruction to the coastal tourist city of Acapulco.
Almost two weeks later, the search for people continues, in addition to assessing the damage.
In the 12th report distributed to the media by the Mexican National Coordination of Civil Protection, one more death was recorded, compared to the data given by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Monday morning in his daily press conference.
López Obrador said there were 47 deaths and 53 people missing, but the CNPC report said 48 deaths and 48 people missing.
Last week, the Mexican government estimated the cost of repairs and social support in the southern state of Guerrero after the impact of Hurricane Otis at 61.3 billion pesos (about $3.5 billion).
On Monday, López Obrador assured that the budget for the recovery of the port of Acapulco is “sufficient.”
“It is enough, there is no limit, it is all that is needed to rebuild economic and tourist activity in Acapulco, serving everyone, with preference to the poorest, most needy people, which is what we are doing,” said the president during his morning press conference.
His statements came hours before Congress was to vote on the government’s budget for 2024, questioned for not including a specific item for the reconstruction of Guerrero following Otis.
However, the Fitch rating agency estimated the catastrophic losses at upwards of $16 billion, while the business chambers anticipated two years and up to 300 billion pesos for the reconstruction of Acapulco.
López Obrador has committed to “getting Acapulco back on its feet” by Christmas, discarding the forecast of business chambers, which have warned that the reconstruction of the port will take two years.
On Wednesday, the Mexican president presented a 20-point plan and estimated the cost of reparations and social support in Guerrero at 61,313 million pesos. EFE
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