Tourists at a four-star resort in Cancun were forced to run for their lives as gunmen on jet skis stormed the beach and opened fire.
The shooting Tuesday at the Oasis Palm resort is just the latest in a rash of gunplay in the region that had Mexican authorities last month deploy a 1,500-strong National Guard force.
In the latest incident, five men in military uniforms converged on the “family-friendly” resort and fired about 20 shots, according to reports.
The unidentified gunmen fired into the air, then abandoned their jet skis, changed into civilian clothes and fled, police said.
“Luckily nobody got hurt, but it could have gone a different way,” US tourist Zayne Jones told KUTV-News. “Just not a good feeling having your kids out here.”
“We just ran and hit the deck,” said Andy Guyrich, a Minnesota tourist.
On Wednesday, the US Department of State issued an advisory warning American tourists to the popular Quintana Roo state, including Cancun, to “exercise extreme caution” when traveling in the region.
Last month, a gunfight on the beach between rival Mexican drug gangs sent tourists scrambling at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera, Cancun’s resort zone.
Police said one tourist received minor injuries in that incident.
Mexican authorities later created a “tourist battalion” of National Guard troops to protect Cancun and nearby resorts — a significant source of income for the country.
“This battalion will provide security to the entire tourist area,” National Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said when he announced the move.