Search Continues for Missing Persons Due to Hurricane Otis Meridiano.mx
go to original February 17, 2024

A missing sailor’s last message from Hurricane Otis was to ask his family to pray for him. (Marco Ugarte/AP)

From November 28 to February 13, representatives of the Mexican Government, headed by the Secretary of the Navy, have held 12 meetings with relatives of the people who disappeared due to Hurricane Otis, informed the head of the agency, José Rafael Ojeda Durán.

These meetings were also attended by personnel from the Attorney General's Office of Guerrero and the Public Prosecutor's Office of Acapulco, he said.

In a morning press conference with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the head of the Semar said that there are already 78 searches, of which 48 are maritime, 19 on land and 10 aerial.

This action is carried out with underwater drones, echo sounders and specialized vessels; in addition, 70 divers participate and 7,93 immersions have been performed.

To date, 15 boats have been reported with missing persons and eleven have been located, and there are four still to be located. Twenty-four people have not been located.

Semar reports 448 boats located in Acapulco and 25 in Puerto Marqués; of these, 75 were recovered in Acapulco and 21 in Puerto Marqués.

Regarding the application of Plan DN-III-E, the Navy Plan and the National Guard Plan, the Secretary of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, stated that a total of 17,583 elements are working in Acapulco and Coyuca de Benítez: 1,83 from the Navy Secretariat, 6,500 from the Defense Secretariat and 10,000 from the National Guard, supported by aircraft, boats, heavy machinery, water purification plants and water tankers.

In terms of security, the National Guard carries out patrols, traffic control and surveillance around gas stations, shopping malls, banks, restaurants, roads, toll booths, beaches and maritime areas with 10,000 elements.

It is important to highlight the support of the troops in places where resources are paid from the Welfare Secretariat, as well as from Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission.

Acapulco and Coyuca are divided into 20 sectors, in which 21 National Guard facilities and two housing units will be built for the families of the corporation's personnel.

The Ministry of Defense already has the necessary resources and military engineers will begin work in the first week of March.

See the original at Meridiano.mx

Related: As Hurricane Otis Recovery Continues, Residents Face Another Challenge: Dengue Fever (Direct Relief)

This material was translated from Spanish using AI technologies. Errors may exist due to this process.

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!