American tourists shelter during deadly shootout near Cancun resorts

[Judi Lynn]

BY SARAKSHI RAI - 11/04/21 08:34 PM EDT

A gun battle between suspected drug cartels broke out in Cancun on Thursday and sent hotels guests running for cover, CNN reports.

Mexican authorities in Quintana Roo confirmed that two suspected drug gang members were shot dead in the incident, which took place on a beachfront near the Mexican resort city of Cancún.

"There was a confrontation between members of hostile groups of drug dealers on a beach in Bahía Petempich, Puerto Morelos. Two of them lost their lives at the scene," the officials tweeted.

Local media also reported that there were 15 armed people on the beaches of the Hyatt Ziva hotel, in Bahía Petempich, that sent tourists running to seek shelter.

More:
https://thehill.com/policy/international/americas/580200-american-tourists-shelter-during-deadly-shootout-near-cancun?rl=1

[Judi Lynn]

1. Dead in Gang-Related Shootout Near Upscale Mexican Resort: Officials

Officials said there was a clash between rival groups of drug dealers on a beach' near the hotels
Published 2 hours ago

Two suspected drug dealers were killed Thursday in Mexico’s Caribbean coast resort town of Puerto Morelos, which is near Cancun, after gunmen from competing gangs had a shootout near upscale hotels that sent foreign tourists scrambling to hide, according to officials.

The shootings were the latest chapter in drug gang violence that has sullied the reputation of Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast as a once-tranquil oasis.

The officials in Mexico's Quintana Roo state said nobody else was seriously injured in the gun battle but did not specify what other, non-serious injuries occurred. The state police chief wrote in his Twitter account: “There are no seriously injured or kidnapped tourists.”

Officials said “there was a clash between rival groups of drug dealers on a beach” near the hotels. Several cartels are fighting for the area's lucrative retail drug trade, including the Jalisco cartel and the gang allied with the Gulf cartel.

More:
https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/2-dead-in-gang-related-shootout-near-upscale-mexican-resort-officials/2606461/