Canadian among dozens killed by Hurricane Otis in Mexico

A Canadian was among dozens killed when Hurricane Otis hit Mexico's resort city of Acapulco last week, officials said Monday.

The Canadian had been living in Acapulco for some time and was not considered a tourist, local prosecutors said.

"Global Affairs Canada is aware of reports of the death of a Canadian citizen in Acapulco," the agency said in a statement to CBC News. "Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to obtain additional information."

At least 45 people were killed when Otis roared ashore last Wednesday with devastating 266 km/h winds after strengthening so rapidly that people had little time to prepare.

Mexico's navy said on Monday that search efforts would now focus on finding possible bodies among the 29 boats known to have sunk in Acapulco Bay the night the hurricane hit.

There have been continuing reports that some crew members were aboard boats during the storm. Acapulco is known for both its abundance of expensive yachts and its cheap tour boats that carry tourists around the bay.

In previous hurricanes in Acapulco, most of the dead were swept away by flooding on land. But with Otis, a significant number appear to have died at sea. Local residents have said that some crews had either chosen or been ordered to stay aboard to guard their craft.

Officials from the national electric company promised to have power restored in all of Acapulco by late Tuesday, a full week after the hurricane hit.

Aid has been slow to arrive. The storm's destruction cut off the city of nearly one million people for the first day, and because Otis had intensified so quickly on Tuesday, little to nothing had been staged in advance.

The federal civil defence agency determined that 220,000 homes were damaged by the hurricane, which blew out the windows and walls of some highrise hotels and ripped the tin roofs off thousands of homes.