Mexico storms: Tourists airlifted from flooded Acapulco
Some
40,000 tourists, cut off by landslides caused by Tropical Storm Manuel,
are awaiting evacuation from the Mexican resort of Acapulco.
More than 2,000 tourists have been airlifted from the Air Base Seven military facility north of the resort.
Since the weekend, passengers have been stranded in hotels
and at Acapulco's international airport, where dark coloured water
covered the terminal.
Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel have left at least 57 dead.
Manuel was almost immediately followed by Hurricane Ingrid,
causing widespread devastation in the east of the country. It was the
first time since 1958 that two powerful storms hit Mexico within 24
hours.
Main roads out of Acapulco have been blocked by landslips,
leaving tourists and local residents stranded in the city and along
Mexico's west coast.
Floodwaters prevented passengers from using the airport's terminal at Acapulco international airport
Residents help to unload humanitarian aid from a military plane at the Pie de La Cuesta military base
A stranded boy sleeps next to his dog in a shelter as he awaits evacuation
Stranded tourists took the opportunity to rest in a shelter in Acapulco
Aircraft sit on the flooded tarmac at the airport of Acapulco
A handful of supermarkets were looted by residents on Tuesday
At Air Base Seven, soldiers guarded families who waited for
hours outside the base until they were allowed to board one of the few
aircraft which would take them to Mexico City.
In Acapulco, passengers were being taken directly from
shelters to the runway because the main airport terminal remained
closed.
The BBC's Darren Bett explains what weather Mexico can now expect over the coming days.
"I see everybody helping," said Canadian tourist Michael Paliti, adding that he was "trying to get home as best as possible".
"We're desperate because we cannot return to our city or
jobs. But for now, there's still no hope of returning," Isabel Duarte,
another tourist, said.
Dozens of other towns in the south-western Guerrero state have also been hit by Manuel since it made landfall on Sunday.
There are fears that remote hillside communities may be
particularly affected. Manuel has now dispersed over south-western
Mexico.
In the east, Hurricane Ingrid was downgraded to a tropical
storm shortly before it made landfall on Monday near the town of La
Pesca.
More than 20,000 people have since been evacuated in the state of Veracruz.
Mexicans are now hoping for a break in the weather to give
them a chance to regroup and allow rescuers to operate more freely, the
BBC's Will Grant in Mexico City reports.
But there seems to be no let up in the rain and powerful winds for the time being, our correspondent adds.
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