The death toll from Hurricane John, which hit Mexico’s Pacific coast twice, has risen to at least 16, officials said on Sunday.

Outgoing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on the X platform that the death toll had reached 15 in the state of Guerrero, while a civil protection official in the neighbouring state of Oaxaca reported the death of another person.

The storms left the beach city of Acapulco under water, causing panic among residents who still remembered the devastation of Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm that caused widespread destruction and loss of life in October last year.

The storms buried cars in deep sand and caused a bridge to collapse. Authorities confirmed the deployment of some 18,000 military and emergency personnel to deal with the hurricane’s aftermath.