Mexico counting dead from ‘zombie storm’ John

Foreign News

At least 15 people have died in Mexico as a result of Hurricane John, the country’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has confirmed.

The storm first made landfall a week ago as a category three hurricane on Mexico’s Pacific coast, south-east of the resort of Acapulco.

It then weakened and dissipated over the mountains of Guerrero state before regaining strength over the waters of the Pacific and hitting the Mexican coast a second time, prompting meteorologists to describe it as a “zombie storm”.

Its heavy rains triggered landslides and flooding, cutting off many residents and killing more than a dozen.

Residents posted videos on social media of themselves wading through waters which reached their shoulders.

Some families climbed onto the roofs of their homes as the waters rose.

Officials said more than 5,000 people had to be evacuated and 3,800 had been sleeping in shelters.

Claudia Sheinbaum, who is due to be sworn in as Mexico’s new president on Tuesday, said she would visit Guerrero state with her ministers on Wednesday to ensure that those affected received “all the necessary assistance”.