(OTTAWA) The federal government is advising Canadians in parts of Mexico to limit travel and “take refuge where possible” amid a spike in violence following the arrest of “El Chapo’s” son.
Updated yesterday at 8:26pm.
The violence is said to be particularly pronounced in Culiacán, Mazatlán, Los Mochis and Guasave.
Canadian tourists were stranded at a Mexican hotel on Thursday when buses bound to take them safely to an airport burst into flames outside.
“It’s just chaos,” said Edmonton’s Tina Dahl, whose family of six are stranded in the popular tourist town of Mazatlán. They were supposed to fly on Thursday evening.
The violence began after a pre-dawn security operation in which security forces arrested a possible drug dealer, the son of former cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Canadian officials wrote on Twitter that cars had been set on fire, gunfire had been fired and critical infrastructure, including airports, had been threatened.
The Canadian government announces that Culiacan and Mazatlán airports are closed and that all flights at Los Mochis airport have been suspended until further notice.
Global Affairs Canada spokesman Jason Kung said Canadians should avoid non-essential travel to several areas of Mexico due to high levels of violence and the presence of organized crime.
Canadians requiring emergency consular assistance can contact the Global Affairs Canada Emergency Watch and Response Center at 001-800-514-0129 (toll-free from Mexico only), by SMS at +1613-686-3658, by WhatsApp at +1613-909 contact -8881, by telegram to Emergency Canada Abroad, or by email to [email protected].
Burnt out buses
Ms Dahl mentioned that her brother, sister-in-law, their three children aged 7, 8 and 10 and her sister-in-law’s mother were taken from their hotel room.
“You should come back today [jeudi]but are stuck in their hotel because the three buses that were supposed to go to the airport were set on fire by the cartel [de la drogue] “, she explained.
Without a phone line to the hotel, Ms Dahl said she could communicate with her relatives through the social network Facebook.
“Everyone seems to be fine,” she says. [Ils sont] obviously shaken. If they just read between the lines of text messages and other messages, they’re pretty shaken up. »
The violence comes days before President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will receive Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden at a summit of North American leaders in Mexico City.
With the Associated Press