TOURISTS CAUGHT IN DEADLY DRUG WAR
CANCUN: A cartel shooting involving rival gangs on a beach near Mexico’s Caribbean resort of Cancun left two suspected drug dealers dead and sparked panic among tourists.
“There was a confrontation between members of opposing groups of drug dealers on a beach in Bahia Petempich, Puerto Morelos,” the Quintana Roo state lawyer general’s office tweeted.
“Two of them lost their lives,” it said, adding that there were no other serious injuries.
Tourists staying in hotels next to the beach said people ran for cover after shots were fired.
“Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach and a gunman approached firing a gun,” tweeted Mike Sington, a tourist from the US who was staying at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun Resort.
“Everyone ran from the beach and swimming pools. Staff hustled us into hidden rooms behind the kitchens.”
Videos posted on social media showed dozens of tourists, some in bathing suits, waiting in the hotel lobby along with staff.
“People are hugging each other and crying,” said Sington, who describes himself as a former senior executive at NBC Universal.
Mexico is plagued by cartel-related bloodshed that has resulted in more than 300,000 murders since the government deployed the military in the war on drugs in 2006.
While the Riviera Maya, home to Cancun and other resorts including Playa del Carmen and Tulum, is generally considered safer than much of the country, there has been an increase in violence there.
Last month, two foreign tourists were killed in a shootout between alleged drug dealers in Tulum.