Armed Men Stormed Cancun Resort As Tourists and Staff Take Shelter; Shooters Suspected Drug Dealers in Mexico
Cancun resort tourists and staff were shown hiding in a video of the incident after being told to take cover at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun. Armed men stormed the premises with two suspected drug dealers dead after reports of a shooting at the resort in Mexico, according to an NBC News report.
Resorts staff immediately engaged with local authorities and are now investigating the scene.
Quintana Roo's public safety secretary released a statement confirming that there were two armed individuals on the resort's beach area, noting that both suspects were both believed to be drug dealers and were killed. The statement added that no tourists were seriously hurt or kidnapped.
Armed Men Breaching the Cancun Resort
The suspects were reportedly armed with "long guns" and entered into the beach area and seized one man at gunpoint amid a sea of panicking tourists, according to The Guardian report. At least one person was known to be struck by the butt of a weapon.
The Quintana Roo state prosecutor's office blamed the occurrence on a "confrontation" between drug dealings gangs. The office echoed in a tweet that there were no serious injuries.
A Hyatt spokesperson said in an email that local authorities are currently on the scene and investigating the situation.
Meanwhile, the incident had caused fear among the tourists. One tourist at the hotel tweeted the situation, saying to spread the word and get help on this. The tourist, identified as Andrew Krop, said he has no idea what to do.
Mike Sington, tweeted that all guests and employees were told to duck and were being taken to hiding places. Sington was a retired Hollywood executive who was also staying at the hotel
Sington said that they were hiding in the dark and was told that there was an active shooter on the property, according to a Reuters report.
A local television network Milenio reported that at least one tourist was treated for a head injury.
Mexican Resort Shootings
In October, shooting in Tulum killed a California woman born in India. She was one of the tourists killed in a crossfire between a rival gang shootout, according to a CBS News report.
A German woman was also killed and has been identified as Jennifer Hnezold. However, no hometown information was immediately available for her. Three other foreigners were also injured in the shooting, who were two German men and a Dutch woman.
The German Foreign Office released a travel advisory about the violence. It advised its citizens to not leave their secured hotel facilities if they are currently in the Tulum or Playa del Carmen area.
Two groups who were operating street-level drug sales around the premise were reportedly involved in the gunfight.
The gunfight and killing at Tulum resort had tainted its reputation for being a carefree and crowd-free beach
READ MORE: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Cancun hotel guests shelter in place amid reports of an active shooter in the resort - from ABC7