The Canadian government confirms that one Canadian died in a shooting at a nightclub in Mexico early today and at least two others were injured. In all, five people were killed and 15 were injured at the Blue Parrot nightclub in the resort city of Playa des Carmen. This is one of several Caribbean resorts popular with Canadians wanting to escape winter.
It appears a lone gunman entered the club and exchanged fire with another person already inside. Security personnel tried to stop them but came under fire themselves.
The only female fatality appears to have been killed when people stampeded toward the exits.
‘Gunshots…fired everywhere’
CBC news reached William Om of Montreal who was at the club when he heard what he thought was fireworks or the dance music. “The gunshots happened at the entrance. They were were being fired everywhere randomly. People were lying on the ground, crying, bleeding. It was like a movie. No one anywhere in the world would expect to live through something like this.”
In its official travel advisories, the Canadian government mentioned the shooting. It notes however that more than 1.9 million Canadians travel to Mexico each year, most of them without incident. It does warn that crime rates in Mexico are high and that travellers “should exercise a high degree of caution at all times, monitor local media and follow the instructions of local authorities.”
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.