Mexican authorities claim the sound of a conveyor belt snapping inside the Cancun International airport caused tourists to panic, thinking a shootout was occurring. State police claim that they did not find any bullet casings or wounded individuals at the scene.
The incident took place Monday afternoon at the international airport in Cancun, Quintana Roo, where the presumed sounds of at least three gunshots caused travelers to panic as authorities rushed to secure the scene.
The supposed false alarm comes at a time when Cancun is suffering a rise in violence as Cartel Jalisco New Generation tries to take control of the area away from the Sinaloa Cartel.
Officials claimed the sounds came from a snapping conveyor belt. However, in a previous statement, the attorney general’s office claimed that the sound was from a falling sign.
This ongoing turf war has led to shootings outside and inside resort areas in Cancun, the Mayan Riviera, and Playa del Carmen.
Videos from tourists captured the panic in the packed terminal.
A statement from Cancun airport authorities revealed that the incident occurred shortly before noon when police responded to Terminal 3. Once there, authorities did not find any signs of gunfire, the statement explained.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.