Hurricane causes 27 deaths, severe damage in Mexico's Acapulco

Hurricane Otis caused at least 27 deaths and major damage as it lashed Mexico's resort city of Acapulco as a scale-topping category-5 storm, officials said Thursday. Otis crashed into Acapulco with furious winds of 165 miles (270 kilometers) per hour, shattering windows, uprooting trees and largely cutting off communications and road links with the region.
The storm partially destroyed many buildings, leaving gaping holes in the walls of high-rise towers. Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez told a news conference that 27 people were dead and four were missing. Most of the victims were swept away by overflowing rivers, according to authorities.
The Mexican Government would begin an airlift to deliver aid and materials to the region. Telephone communications began to resume while the main highway from Mexico City to Acapulco was reopened.