Cartels’ gunfire on beach rattles tourists

Hotel guests in towels and bathing suits fled for cover in two resorts south of Cancun, Mexico, on Thursday after gunmen reportedly from rival drug cartels exchanged gunfire on the beach.

The attorney general’s office for the state of Quintana Roo said in a statement that two men died in a confrontation involving about 20 gang members over drug-dealing territory that borders the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun and the Azul Beach Resort. Another person identified as a hotel guest was hospitalized with a head injury.

The Associated Press reported that 15 attackers arrived by boat in Puerto Morelos wearing ski masks and ultimately fled by water. Authorities detained eight suspects with guns, according to the AP.

Mike Sington, who identifies himself on Twitter as a retired executive for NBCUniversal, posted screenshots of text-message alerts describing an active shooter at the Hyatt property. He shared video of hotel staffers directing him to take shelter in a dark room deep inside the hotel after navigating hallways lined with other guests and workers.

“Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach, gunman approached firing gun,” Sington tweeted. The AP reported that guests at Azul Beach Resort shared similar scenes on social media.

In a statement, Hyatt said the hotel has ramped up security measures and that authorities gave the go-ahead to resume business Thursday evening.

The shooting comes two weeks after two tourists were killed and three were injured in the crossfire of a suspected gang shootout at a restaurant in Tulum, about 65 miles down the coast.