Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 39 as searchers comb through debris in Acapulco

People take items from stores in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (Felix Marquez/AP)

Felix Marquez / Felix Marquez

More resources are arriving on Mexico’s battered Pacific coast, and the death toll from Hurricane Otis is growing as searchers recover more bodies from Acapulco’s harbor and under fallen trees and other storm debris.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Saturday that his opponents are trying to inflate the toll to damage him politically, but few expect the latest mark of 39 dead to be where it stops. Hundreds of families are still awaiting word from loved ones.

Otis roared ashore early Wednesday with devastating 165 mph winds after strengthening so rapidly that people had little time to prepare.