Mexico’s president became stuck in the mud as he battled to reach areas affected by Hurricane Otis, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the country’s Pacific coast.

The storm hit the beach resort of Acapulco early on Wednesday, smashing buildings and vital infrastructure and leaving the city incommunicado and without power.

Footage on social media showed hotels wrecked by Otis, ceilings and walls ripped open, windows shattered and cars partly submerged in floodwaters as the rare Category 5 storm barreled ashore in the southern state of Guerrero.

Debris was strewn around lobbies, patios, streets and hotel balconies, and remnants of mangled trees littered downtown Acapulco after the storm strengthened unexpectedly fast at sea and hammered the coast with winds of 165 mph (266 kph).

Downed telecommunication lines and damage to infrastructure left residents cut off from the outside world.