Videos broadcast on social media showed rooms wrecked by the passing of the hurricane, ceilings and walls rent open and cars partly submerged in floodwaters as the southern state of Guerrero awoke to the disarray left in Otis' wake.
Footage from one hospital on social media showed nurses evacuating patients from their rooms to keep them safe from Otis, which strengthened unexpectedly fast at sea and barrelled into the coast with winds of 265 kph).
One of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the region, Otis reached the shore at a Category 5 strength before quickly weakening to a Category 4 storm. Its power slackened further as it moved inland and it was a Category 1 by midmorning.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there were no immediate reports of fatalities from the storm, but cautioned that authorities were struggling to get updates.
"The hurricane is still affecting the area and communications are completely down," he told reporters at a regular government press conference.
At around 0900 local time Wednesday (0200 AEDT Thursday), Otis was 100 km north-northwest of Acapulco, packing winds of 130 kph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Otis could bring up to 50 cm of rain to parts of Guerrero and Oaxaca states, mudslides, a "potentially catastrophic" storm surge, and life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, authorities said.
In Guerrero, authorities opened storm shelters, the National Guard was ready for rescues and evacuations and soldiers patrolled Acapulco's emptying beaches.Â
