He ran back into the hotel and ended up in some random room with one of the housekeepers, said Mr Krop, whose account of events was confirmed to The Independent by Eric Krop. "Consular officials are contacting local authorities to gather more information and stand ready to provide consular assistance.". Guests at the hotel were deemed safe after the shooting, authorities said. All rights reserved. All guests confined to lobby now. A group of drug gang gunmen stormed ashore a beach near luxury hotels in Cancun, Mexico, on Thursday and executed two drug dealers from a rival gang. Fortunately, no one was harmed or injured during the shooting. He later tweeted that guests were taken out of hiding and brought to the lobby, where they cried and hugged each other. "Everyone ran from beach and swimming pools. Local police confirmed today that one American was hospitalized following the shooting, but is currently stable. Just two weeks prior to this shooting, one US and another German tourist were killed in a similar incident in the beach town of Tulum. Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. All rights reserved, Girls HS Basketball Team Forfeits Game Because It Refused to Play Against a Team With a Transgender Player, Feds Expand Probe Into Migrant Child Labor in Slaughterhouses, Tornadoes, Large Hail, Damaging Winds Possible With Powerful Storms Thursday, Anna SRO Assaulted While Breaking Up High School Fight, District Says, Check Your Change! Talking Stick Resort - Spa property rated 4 stars. Several cartels are fighting for the areas lucrative retail drug trade, including the Jalisco cartel and the a gang allied with the Gulf cartel. Staff hustled us into hidden rooms behind the kitchens. The recent crime wave led President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obradorto send 1,500 members of the National Guard to patrol the region. He also adds that he is not "overly concerned" as this was his first time experiencing such an incident as a frequent visitor of Cancun over the past 31 years. Mexico News. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. At first glance, this might feel like a wash. Gunfire erupted on Friday at the Hotel Xcaret Mexico in the tourist town of Playa del Carmen, about 70km (45 miles) south of Cancn on the Caribbean coast. The assailants arrived by boat and wore ski masks, officials said. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! The gunfight also apparently broke out between two rival drug gangs in the area, according to prosecutors. Another witness, who was on the beach with her daughter at the time of the shooting, said that the gunfire began 15 minutes after the National Guard had left the area. Earlier in the day, the victims had apparently arrived at the beach in front of the Azul Beach Resort and the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun and claimed the territory as their own. Two witnesses, Andy Guyrich and Kerry Arms, visiting the resort from Minnesota told the Associated Press the shots came unexpectedly. In November, a commando of drug gang gunmen stormed a beach at Puerto Morelos, a resort just south of Cancun, and opened fire in front of luxury hotels, executing two drug dealers from a rival gang. He told the Metro Weekly: "We had literally just arrived and were walking to the beach when a rain of gunfire happened, and people all started running from the beach and pool area to take cover. We are now working hand in hand with our hotel partner to calm and nurture our guests., LGBT tourists at five star Cancun resort dash for shelter as rival drug dealers battle on Mexican beach, Shocking video shows moment police called by Southwest accused mother of kidnapping biracial daughter, Disabled activist dies after United Airlines destroyed her custom wheelchair, Restoring Mexico's mangroves can shield shores, store carbon, Latinos with dark skin face more discrimination, study finds, Migrant Oregon weed workers face threats amid illegal boom, the Hyatt was hosting a week-long Day of the Dead celebration for LGBT+ travellers, Chicago police chief, U.S. attorney resign after Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The head prosecutor of Quintana Roo state, Oscar Montes de Oca, told the Radio Formula station: "About 15 people arrived on the beach to assassinate two men who had showed up saying they were the new dealers in the area.. He called the attack a serious blow to the development and security of the state putting the image of the state at grave risk.. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Lebassa says this was the first incident of this kind hes seen in his 31 years of coming to Cancun. Staff hustled us into hidden rooms behind the kitchens.". The chief police of the coastal state of Quintana Roo said the incident occurred Tuesday when the suspects pulled up dressed as soldiers and began shooting in Cancun's hotel zone. Andrew Krop told Fox News his husband was at the resort performing for the Vacaya gay vacation group. The carnage sent tourists scrambling for cover after 15 drug gang gunmen rocked up in ski masks and opened fire on the beach in front of the Azul Beach Resort and the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun. The other was killed on the beach. No one appeared to be injured, authorities said. There have been signs that the situation in Quintana Roo state, where all the resorts are located, was out of control months ago. Gunfire broke out on a beach in Mexicos Caribbean coast resort of Cancun Tuesday, sending tourists scrambling for cover, (https://oasishoteles.com/en/hotels/grand-oasis-palm), Fox News Flash top headlines for December 8. One Hyatt guest was hit with a stray bullet, Mike Sington, a former senior executive at NBCUniversal staying at the resort, tweeted Thursday.The injured guest has been released from the hospital, Sington said, andreturned to the resort, where normal operations have resumed. Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Manuel Joaquin Gonzlez said in a statement that the shootout was "a strong blow to the development of the state," Radio Formula reported. A Hyatt spokesperson told Fox News the resort is aware of a "developing situation.". Rival cartels often kill another gang's street-level dealers in Mexico to get rid of competition and ensure their drugs are sold first. Along with that National Guard, Mexican marines have been deployed there as well, equipped with bulletproof vests, helmets and assault rifles. Several guests staying at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun told CNN they had been. Karim Torres/AP. The Puerto Morelos shooting came two weeks after a California travel blogger and a German tourist were killed in a similar shootout in the beach town of Tulum in October. Two people are dead after a shooting involving alleged drug gangs in a Mexico resort zone Thursday afternoon, authorities said. They then ran up to their rooms and were told to stay there because there was an active shooter on the property, according to Wildermuth, who said he saw military personnel directing people in front of the hotel. Three other foreign tourists were wounded in the rampage at a street-side eatery, near Tulum's main strip, including two German men and a Dutch woman. We just had to hit the deck, Guyrich said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Montes de Oca said one of the men targeted in the attack fled into one of the hotels before he died. The carnage sent tourists scrambling for cover after 15 drug gang gunmen rocked up in ski masks and opened fire on the beach in front of the Azul Beach Resort and the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun. State authorities called it a clash between rival groups of drug dealers on a beach near two hotels. The shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents on the resort-studded coast, and came in the same week that a special battalion of National Guard troops were assigned to protect the area. A third tourist was also wounded in the gunfire. In November, a commando of drug gang gunmen stormed a beach at Puerto Morelos, a resort just south of Cancun, and opened fire in front of luxury hotels, executing two drug dealers from a rival. It is not the first time that tourists have been caught in the crossfire of such battles. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Fungus case forces Jack Daniels to halt construction, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US, How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists. The province attorney general said the gunfire erupted during a fight between "antagonistic groups of drug dealers" and one person was arrested. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. BORDER EXPERT: TERRORIST LABELS FOR MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS LONG OVERDUE. About 15 people then showed up at the beach and executed the two rivals, the head prosecutor of Quintana Roo state, Oscar Montes de Oca, said. He told a local radio station that "about 15 people arrived on the beach to assassinate the two men," The Associated Press reported. Eyewitnesses said the men stormed the beach armed with machine guns and opened fire. A San Jose, California woman born in India, Anjali Ryot, and German citizen Jennifer Henzold were apparently hit by crossfire at a street-side eatery. 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. According to local press reports, there were simultaneous attacks on two bars located on the same avenue. A shooting between suspected rival drug gangs broke out on the beach of a resort in Cancun, Mexico, Thursday afternoon, sending guests scrambling for safety. He said two of them lost their lives at the scene and that there were no serious injuries. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, The Pandemic Altered Many Things, Including Alcohol AbuseThese Are the Warning Signs. Our top-rated resorts around Tempe: Marriott Phoenix Resort Tempe at The Buttes - Family-friendly property rated 4 stars. During the chaos, Eric was able to call Andrew from the hotel rooms phone. All guests and employees told to duck, and were all taken to hiding places at Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun Resort. Mexican marines with bulletproof vests, helmets and assault rifles were seen patrolling Cancuns tourist-crowded beaches following the Tuesday shooting. Pronouns: she/her. The two men killed in the bloodshed were drug dealers, authorities confirmed, and had apparently arrived at the beach earlier in the day - claiming it was now their territory. Cancun: Resort guests take shelter in lobby as two dead in rival drug gang beach melee Many people falling on the wet ground. Mike Sington, a guest at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun, wrote on Twitter: "Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach, gunman approached firing guns. Carlos Joaquin said the commando wore ski masks and arrived by boat at the beach. Four Americans tourists were shot in the attack, which officials determined to be an assassination by a rival gang. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Here's why. Andrew Krop, a publicist in Montana whose husband Eric was at the hotel to sing for the LGBT+ gathering, told The Independent that Eric had been returning to the beach after finishing a measure of tequila at the hotel bar just before noon local time when he heard at least 20 gunshots. A shootout involving rival gangs on a beach near the Mexican resort of Cancn has left two suspected drug dealers dead, prosecutors say. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. "We understand the hotel team immediately engaged local authorities, who are on the scene investigating the situation," the spokesperson said in a statement. Cancun shooting: Four Americans injured in drug gang gunfire at luxury Mexico resort. They included two German men and a Dutch woman. But when you dig into which hotels are moving . Rival cartels often kill another gangs street-level dealers in Mexico to eliminate competition and ensure their drugs are sold first. Thanks for contacting us. Minutes from everything. Still no announcement or update from hotel, Hyatt, or police. Tourists visiting Cancun were sent running for their lives after gunmen on jet skis opened fire on the beach, steps away from the Grand Ocean Palm resorts. Arms initially thought it was some kind of show. Mexican soldiers by the Hyatt Ziva Riviera hotel in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, on November 4, 2021, after a shooting. Prosecutors said Friday they have arrested a suspect in that killing. Three other foreign tourists were wounded in the shooting at a street-side eatery that has some outdoor tables, right off Tulums main strip. Rival drug gangs engaged in the Thursday gunfight on the beach outside Azul Beach. And in nearby Playa del Carmen, police stage a massive raid in October on the beach towns restaurant-lined Quinta Avenida, detaining 26 suspects most apparently for drug sales after a city policewoman was shot to death and locked in the trunk of a car last week. The attorney generals office for the state of Quintana Roo also tweeted that rival gangs had faced off on the beach inBaha Petempich. Mike Sington, a former executive, said he was at the resort and posted video footage on his Twitter account. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The shooting occurred on a beach in Puerto Morelos, south of Cancun, during a confrontation between alleged members of rival groups of drug dealers, according to a statement from the Quintana Roo Attorney General's Office. One person was killed and six others were injured Friday in shootings on a main boulevard in Mexicos Caribbean coast resort of Cancun, authorities said. Governor Carlos Joaquin called the attack a serious blow to the development and security of the state putting the image of the state at grave risk. USA TODAY 0:00 0:34 Two men died on Thursday near the Mexican city of Cancun in a shooting outside of a luxury resort.