Some 17,000 soldiers and police have been deployed in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, where there has been widespread looting since a powerful hurricane hit the region.
Videos show people taking food and water from shops, while others walk away with expensive electronic items and clothes from shopping centres.
Thirty-nine people are now known to have died in Hurricane Otis.
Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power and water.
Otis made landfall on the Pacific coast on Wednesday, with winds reaching 165mph (266 km/h). It had intensified from a tropical storm into a category five hurricane - the most severe category - in just 12 hours.
Acapulco was among the areas worst hit in Mexico, with 80% of the resort's hotels damaged and streets flooded.
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