Gunmen on jet skis open fire at Cancun resort as shootings in region surge

Tourists at a four-star resort in Cancun ran for their lives as gunmen on jetskis stormed the beach and opened fire.

National Guard are now protecting Cancun beaches as the frequency of shooting incidents increases. Picture: Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP

Tourists at a four-star resort in Cancun were forced to run for their lives as gunmen on jetskis stormed the beach and opened fire.

The shooting at the Oasis Palm resort on Tuesday is just the latest in a series of shootings in the region that had Mexican authorities last month deploy a 1500-strong National Guard force.

In the latest incident, five men in military uniforms converged on the “family-friendly” resort and fired about 20 shots, according to reports.

The unidentified gunmen fired into the air, then abandoned their jetskis, changed into civilian clothes and fled, police said.

Members of the National Guard patrol a beach. Meanwhile the US State Department issued a travel advisory for American tourists in the area. Picture: Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP

“Luckily nobody got hurt, but it could have gone a different way,” US tourist Zayne Jones told KUTV-News. “Just not a good feeling having your kids out here.”

“We just ran and hit the deck,” another tourist, Andy Guyrich, said.

On Wednesday, the US Department of State issued a travel advisory, warning American tourists to the popular Quintana Roo state, including Cancun, to “exercise extreme caution” when travelling in the region.

The men rode on jetskis and fired guns into the air.

Last month, a gunfight on the beach between rival Mexican drug gangs sent tourists scrambling at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera, in Cancun’s resort zone.

Police said one tourist received minor injuries in that incident.

A member of the newly created Tourist Security Battalion of the National Guard on duty at a beach in Cancun, Mexico. Picture: Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP

Mexican authorities later created a “tourist battalion” of National Guard troops to protect Cancun and nearby resorts – a significant source of income for the country.

“This battalion will provide security to the entire tourist area,” National Defence Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said when he announced the move.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission