Acapulco was struggling Sunday to recover from the extraordinarily powerful Hurricane Otis, which claimed 48 lives across southern Mexico and provoked widespread power, water and telephone outages.

The picturesque tourist haunt, which once lured Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley, had never experienced a Category 5 storm like Otis, which roared ashore Wednesday and made local landmarks built over decades look like they had been bombed out. 

The hurricane’s death count climbed Sunday as five more people were confirmed dead in Coyuca de Benitez, north of the city.

Some 36 people were still missing, authorities said at midday. 

The count of victims has been slow after the storm collapsed telecommunications systems, which have been gradually returning over the weekend.

But frustrated survivors, who for days were unable to communicate with loved ones to let them know they were safe, have accused authorities of an inadequate response.

The World Meteorological Organization has described the hurricane as “one of the most rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones on record,” exceeded in modern times only by another Pacific hurricane, Patricia, in 2015.

The speed with which Otis intensified took the government and weather forecasters by surprise, leaving little time to issue warnings and prepare residents for its arrival.

As aid finally began to arrive over the weekend, initial estimates put the storm’s damage at around $15 billion. 

Some 273,000 homes, 600 hotels and 120 hospitals were damaged, with a number of restaurants and businesses in ruins, the government said.

A security force of some 17,000 was deployed across the area after reports that supermarkets had been looted.

Additionally, the Mexican army and navy established an air bridge to distribute humanitarian aid.

Thousands of litres of water and food supplies have been distributed in the resort city, home to 780,000 people. 

The government had earlier said victims in need of specialized care were being flown to hospitals elsewhere in Mexico.

In 1997, Hurricane Paulina hit the Acapulco region as a Category 4 storm, killing more than 200 people.

Politicians usually receive requests for jobs, administrative work and monetary help for weddings and medical emergencies. But what Nagaland BJP president Temjen Imna Along got is out of the ordinary.

A young man urged Mr Along for financial assistance ahead of his first date with his “dream girl”.

In a mail, one Arabinda Panda said, “Sir, on 31 October I am going to date my dream girl for the first time but still I don’t have a job yet. So kindly need a little help. Sir, please do something.” 

Sharing a screenshot of the mail on X, the state BJP chief asked, “Batao main Kya Karu (Tell me what should I do)?” 

The post elicited funny reactions on the internet. One advised the Along to go on the date in place of him, while another urged him to sponsor their date. An X user also said that the “lover boy” should be made an MLA, while several others requested Along to help him get a job.

There were pieces of advice for the youth too. He was asked to read a book titled ‘The Art of Being Alone’ or to marry the girl of his parents’ choice.

However, not everyone is amused. Those netizens said the youth should be ignored as he needs to learn the hard facts of life.

Two men on their way to participate in a religious procession were thrashed allegedly by some unidentified people of a different community in northeast Delhi’s Nand Nagri area, the police said on Sunday.

The two, identified as Ankit (19) and his friend Sidhu, riding different motorcycles were thrashed for shouting slogans when they were passing through a religious place on Saturday evening, they said.

Police said that the victims were admitted to the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital with injuries.

A PCR call was received at 6.40 pm on Saturday, said an official, adding the caller stated that some people were thrashing his brother.

“A team was sent to the spot. By the time it reached there, the attackers had fled the spot. After a preliminary inquiry, we found that Ankit along with his friends had come from Dilshad Garden to Nand Nagri to participate in the Valmiki Jayanti procession,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey.

“Ankit and his 10-11 friends riding five-six two-wheelers came to Nand Nagri, and were about half a kilometre away from the procession which was passing through its pre-decided route. However, they took a route through E-Block near a mosque to reach the procession. This route is never used for Valmiki Jayanti processions as it is dominated by another community,” he added.

The DCP said that Ankit and Sidhu were shouting some slogans, adding they were intercepted by some people of the different community near E-Block mosque while Ankit’s friends managed to pass through.

Police said that an altercation took place after which the two men were thrashed and their motorcycles were damaged.

However, police said the Valmiki Jayanti procession concluded peacefully later.

“The incident was not connected with the Valmiki procession, which concluded peacefully sometime later,” Tirkey said.

The procession was adequately provided security, and two inspector-rank officers and other police personnel were accompanying the procession, the DCP said.

“No motorcycles were allowed in the procession. All the participants were either on foot or on ‘jhankis’,” he added.

The DCP said efforts are being made to identify the culprits and some suspects have been rounded up.

Further investigation in the case is going on, he added.