Comment on Mexico to airlift tourists after Hurricane Odile

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — The Mexican government prepared to begin airlifting tens of thousands of stranded tourists out of the hurricane-ravaged resort area of Los Cabos on Tuesday, as residents picked up the pieces of shattered, flooded homes. The Interior Ministry said military and commercial planes would be sent to ferry travelers out through the airports of La Paz and Los Cabos, the latter of which remained closed to commercial flights due to damage from Hurricane Odile when it tore through the area late Sunday and Monday. Images on Mexican television showed the terminal full of debris, but Ministry official Jose Maria Tapia told Milenio Television that the runway was usable and work was nearly complete to make the control tower operable. Tapia said travelers would be flown to Tijuana and Mazatlan, where they can catch connecting flights and, in the case of foreigners, receive consular assistance. A boat was on its way to Baja California Sur with humanitarian aid, and authorities were working to restore electricity and phone service. President Enrique Pena Nieto was scheduled to tour the area later in the day and oversee evacuations, after presiding over an independence day military parade in the capital. Downgraded to a tropical storm, Odile continued to soak parts of the Baja California Peninsula, and forecasters said it was still capable of unleashing dangerous flash floods and mudslides. In Los Cabos, Enrique Cota wept as he stood in murky, ankle-deep water and surveyed the destruction at his home.Read more on NewsOK.com