- The shooting was reported at the vicinity of a 5-star Cancun hotel on Thursday afternoon.
- Resort guests were rushed into hiding by Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun staff amid reports of a shootout.
- Mexico’s news reported that one tourist was treated for an unspecified “minor injury” in wake of the incident.
The shooting was reported at the vicinity of a 5-star Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun resort in Mexico on Thursday afternoon.
According to conflicting reports, a gunman or gunmen approached the resort, a popular tourist destination for Americans, from the adjacent beach and began shooting.
Guests and employees were rushed into hiding by staff amid reports of a shootout.
Terrified guests described a single gunman approaching the secluded resort from the beach and opening fire amid a volleyball game. There have also been reports that the shooter or shooters were wielding “machine guns” as they descended on the resort.
At least two suspected gang members were killed in a shootout, The State Secretariat of Public Security in Mexico’s state of Quintana Roo said.
According to state officials, two people who are “presumed to be drug dealers” were killed but no tourists were seriously injured or kidnapped.
The state’s attorney general later confirmed the incident was a gang shootout, saying it took place on a beach a short distance from the resort.
According to local media reports, one tourist was treated for an unspecified “minor injury” in wake of the incident.
Within an hour of the shootout, guests were allowed back up to the hotel’s reception.
A spokesperson for the Hyatt Ziva Riviera in Cancun said that hotel staff “immediately engaged local authorities” who are said to be at the scene investigating.
The US Embassy in Mexico said it was looking into reports of the shooting.
A suspected gang shootout at another popular resort in Tulum, some 80 miles south of Cancun, left two foreign tourists dead and three others injured last month, after which Mexican security forces were sent to back up local authorities.
It followed a string of gang-related incidents in the region, including the slaying of a police officer in the nearby town of Playa del Carmen in late October.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- It followed a string of gang-related incidents in the region, including the slaying of a police officer in the nearby town of Playa del Carmen in late October.
- The shooting was reported at the vicinity of a 5-star Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun resort in Mexico on Thursday afternoon.
- At least two suspected gang members were killed in a shootout, The State Secretariat of Public Security in Mexico's state of Quintana Roo said.