Tourists panic as Mexico beach shooting leaves two dead
A shooting involving rival gangs on a beach near Mexico's Caribbean resort of Cancun left two suspected drug dealers dead on Thursday and sparked panic among foreign tourists.
The armed clash, the second to shake Mexico's Riviera Maya in recent weeks, is another blow to a tourism industry still recovering from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
"There was a confrontation between members of opposing groups of drug dealers on a beach in Bahia Petempich, Puerto Morelos," the Quintana Roo state attorney general's office tweeted.
"Two of them lost their lives," it said.
No tourists were seriously injured or kidnapped, the Quintana Roo public security department reported.
Tourists staying in hotels next to the beach described how people ran for cover after shots were fired.
"Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach, gunman approached firing gun," tweeted Mike Sington, a tourist from the United States staying at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun Resort.
"Everyone ran from beach and swimming pools. Staff hustled us into hidden rooms behind the kitchens."
