Gang shooting at resort near Cancun leaves 2 suspects dead and tourist injured

A clash between rival groups at a resort near Cancún, a tourist destination in Mexico, left two men —identified by police as drug traffickers — dead and one tourist injured this Thursday afternoon (4), according to information released by local authorities .

The Mexican state attorney general’s office of Quintana Roo said rival drug dealers clashed on a beach in Bahia Petempich, in the city of Puerto Morelos. Hours earlier, images published by tourists staying at the site began circulating on social networks.

A senior state official reported that a group of armed men arrived by boat in search of bodies, which another Mexican official characterized as a possible planned execution. The frightened tourists were advised by staff at the luxurious Hyatt Riviera hotel to go into hiding.

A local employee, who asked not to be identified, told the AFP news agency that about 15 men arrived in a speedboat and one of them managed to get into the hotel, when he was followed by other armed people to the places where workers and tourists were staying. .

The executive of American entertainment conglomerate NBC Universal Mike Sington was one of the tourists present at the resort and made several posts on Twitter about what was happening.

In one of the posts, he stated that all the guests and staff stooped and hid in dark rooms at the back of the place. “Terrorism or kidnapping threat? They’re not telling us anything.”

In another, Sington showed images of tourists confined to the hotel lobby in beach clothes. “Several guests said they saw an armed man coming from the beach, again shooting,” he reported.

At least one tourist in the area suffered a head injury, according to the local television network Milenio. Crime-related violence, particularly drug sales, has impacted the Mexican Caribbean for years. Most violent incidents are recorded far from luxury resorts, but in recent years there have been episodes of armed clashes in tourist areas.

In October, two foreign tourists were killed and others injured during a shootout between gangs at a popular resort in Tulum, 130 kilometers from Cancun.

Mexican security forces were sent in to tighten security at the site. Tourism represents 8.5% of the Mexican GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and is the main economic activity in the southeast region of the country.