As violence erupted across parts of Mexico on Sunday, many Canadians were forced to take shelter to stay safe, while others, like Wendy Buelow, were left stranded as airports shut down and flights were cancelled.
Mexican government officials warned residents that Jalisco State, including popular tourist destination Puerto Vallarta, was not safe for travel after the leader of a major drug cartel was reportedly killed in a government operation.
Buelow and her husband, Dave, were set to fly back home to Winnipeg Sunday morning. Instead, they got separated in the airport as the military closed and secured the facility.
"We heard these noises that could have been gunshots," Buelow said. "We dove over the (luggage conveyor belt) and were hiding behind it, and then the airport staff brought us in this corridor … We were just sitting there waiting. Everybody was really scared, people were crying and it was really tense."
Buelow said while she was hiding, her husband had already gone past security and was herded out onto the tarmac and had to run away from the building for about half a kilometre. After a few moments, airport staff brought buses and transported passengers back inside the building.
The couple was reunited and secured inside the building with armed military members, but had no idea when they would be able to leave, or where they would even go.
Global Affairs Canada issued a warning to people in the area that criminal groups had set up roadblocks with burning vehicles throughout the state. The agency says there are just under 19,000 Canadians in Mexico at the moment, including nearly 5,000 in Jalisco State. However, they note those numbers are estimates, as they come from a voluntary registry of Canadians abroad.
WestJet, Air Canada, Flair Airlines, Air Transat and Porter Airlines all cancelled or diverted flights that were headed to the area.
In a statement, WestJet said they diverted seven flights en route to Puerto Vallarta and cancelled 24 flights to and from the city, as well nearby Guadalajara and Manzanillo.
“As conditions evolve, additional cancellations may be required to ensure the safety of everyone,” the statement read.
Canadian Melanie Osmack was with her children at a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone Sunday morning, watching the Olympic men's gold-medal hockey game when she first saw the smoke.
“It was very visible, very black sky and you could smell it,” Osmack said. Videos circulating on social media appear to show plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky at several different sites, stemming from the burning vehicles.
That’s when people at the restaurant started getting messages and alerts to return to their hotels or residences, and shelter inside.
“Some people couldn't even get back to where they were staying because the roads were closed,” Osmack said. Global Affairs Canada said all taxi and ride-share services in the area were suspended.
Osmack has a condo on the beach where she and her family have been safely sheltered. She said they’ve been visiting the area from Vancouver yearly for close to 30 years, and never experienced anything like this.
“It’s very unsettling.”
David McNamara, a self-described "snowbird" from B.C., called the scene "eerie."
McNamara said earlier Sunday morning, the sky was filled with distinct plumes of smoke as cars and buses were set ablaze in the streets, blocking intersections. The smoke has since dissipated into "a haze."
There has been no other instruction from local officials other than to shelter in place and charge all electronic devices, McNamara said. He said he's concerned about what will happen if the lockdowns continue for more than a day or two.
"The grocery stores will run out of food fairly quickly. The resorts will run out of food very quickly. They probably have three or four days of perishables, all the all-inclusives."
The federal government said there have also been shootouts and explosions, though it wasn't clear if there were any injuries. Global Affairs Canada advised Canadians in the area to keep a low profile and shelter in place, and monitor local and international media to stay informed.
In a statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the government is "deeply alarmed" by the reports of violence. Anand says Global Affairs Canada is in "close contact with local authorities" and they are ready to help Canadians in the area.
In a post on social media, Pablo Lemus Navarro, the governor of Jalisco, said that federal forces conducted a raid in Tapalpa, a town about 400 kilometres inland of Puerto Vallarta, Sunday morning.
That raid, Navarro wrote, led to “confrontations” across the state.
The Associated Press is reporting that the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, was killed in that raid.
The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organizations in Mexico.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Wendy Buelow
