CABO LUCAS: Mexican military and commercial aeroplanes began on Tuesday to airlift tourists stranded in the Los Cabos resorts after Hurricane Odile left luxury hotels and communities in tatters.

Some 30,000 tourists have been waiting for a ride out of the devastated zone in Baja California peninsula after Odile rolled across the region on Sunday and Monday before being downgraded to a tropical storm.

Without open service stations to fuel cars or public transport, hundreds of people walked to the heavily damaged Los Cabos airport, pulling their luggage behind them for a chance to catch a flight.

“I’ve been standing in line for almost an hour under this infernal heat, but it’s worth it to get out of here,” said Sheilla Roach, a US university student who was supposed to go home on Sunday, the night the hurricane struck.

The airport, along with the region’s other international terminal in La Paz, were left inoperable after the storm. The Los Cabos terminal lost power and a ceiling collapsed while windows were broken.

The federal police said one of its planes took 137 people to Mazatlan.

Mexican airline Interjet sent a plane for 150 passengers. The armed forces deployed jets to take people to Tijuana and Mexico City.

Odile struck late on Sunday, forcing some 26,000 foreigners and 4,000 Mexican beachgoers to take shelter in area hotels.

Published in Dawn, September 18th , 2014