Last Updated
Earlier today tourists and staff along a beach near Cancun were seen fleeing for cover as multiple gunshots were fired in the area.
Shortly after 2:00 pm today, just outside the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun hotel a group of armed individuals opened gunfire which left tourists and staff members fleeing for safety.
According to local authorities, this incident occurred between alleged local drug groups. Two of them were killed during the shoot-out, while the others took off on a stolen boat and have yet to be located.
Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun Hotel
Located in the Mexican beach town of Puerto Morelos, thousands of tourists visit here every year. Making this luxury hotel well-loved by tourists from all over the world. This is the first incident of its kind happening right outside their doors and a Hyatt spokesman wrote in an email today as the incident took place, “The safety and wellbeing of guests and colleagues is always a top priority. We are aware of a developing situation at Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun. We understand the hotel team immediately engaged local authorities who are on the scene investigating the situation.”
No Tourists Were Injured
Luckily none of the tourists or staff at the location were seriously injured. However, many were left shaken up after this terrifying incident which left dozens of people hiding in fear for their life. A retired Hollywood executive who was staying at the hotel, Mike Sington took to Twitter when the events began to unravel stating that “All guests and employees were told to duck and we’re being taken to hiding places.”
The Security Secretariat of Mexico’s Quintana Roo state reassured that “No tourists were seriously hurt or kidnapped.”
Many eyewitnesses claim that the assailants rushed the beach area with guns drawn, and they eventually opened fire. An unnamed guest said they were by the pool when it all began, “I was by the pool when multiple successive gunshots occurred. It went on for a little while and everyone dove for cover,” said the guest.
Aside from the two victims who were killed, at least one other person has been injured from getting struck by the butt-end of a long-barreled gun.
Similar to recent events…
This unfortunate event is similar to a recent tragedy that went down in Tulum’s popular ‘Centauro Sur Street’, in the area most commonly known as ‘La Mini Quinta’.
On Wednesday, October 20th of this year, multiple tourists were shot while dining in Tulum – Two of whom did not survive. This was allegedly the result of an altercation between two street-level drug gangs.
Heightend Security
Due to the increase of this kind of illegal activity, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador instructed
Upwards of 250 additional national guards and military personnel to step in to help protect the Riviera Maya.
The President and local authorities are committed to doing what it takes to lower the recent surge in crime rates and preserve the Riviera Maya’s reputation for being a safe place to travel in the Mexican Caribbean.
Plan Your Next Cancun Vacation:
Traveler Alert: Don’t Forget Travel Insurance For Your Next Trip!
Choose From Thousands of Cancun and Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts and Hostels with Free Cancellation On Most Properties
↓ Join the community ↓
The Cancun Sun Community FB group has all the latest travel news, conversations and tourism Q&A’s for the Mexican Caribbean
Subscribe to our Latest Posts
Enter your email address to subscribe to The Cancun Sun’s latest breaking news affecting travelers, straight to your inbox.