26K Canadians in Mexico as cartel violence hits Puerto Vallarta: minister – national
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More than 26,000 Canadians are currently registered in Mexico as traffic violence plagues the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta — and there are no plans for military or diplomatic flights to help Canadians evacuate, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said.
Anand said the federal government is working on “relief” plans, but did not share more details and said Mexican authorities have told him they expect the situation to be “normal.”
“I am in contact with my Mexican counterpart, who expects the situation to normalize in the coming days. Our embassy and embassy staff are working with their counterparts to ensure that Canadians remain safe,” Anand told reporters in Ottawa on Monday.
As of 7 a.m. eastern Monday, 26,305 Mexican Canadians have registered with Global Affairs Canada, Anand said. The figure is an increase of nearly 8,000 compared to the previous 24 hours, showing Canadians registered with the GAC in the “thousands” as cartel violence escalates in Mexico’s Jalisco state.
Since registration is voluntary, Anand said the actual number of Canadians in Mexico is expected to be higher.
Canadians are urged to register with GAC, by calling the register at 613-996-8885-SOS or at international.gc.ca.
In the past 24 hours, Canada’s Emergency Monitoring and Response Center received 440 calls from Canadians seeking information about flights and travel advice, Anand said.
The two requests for diplomatic support “relate to Canadians with life-threatening injuries,” Anand said, but added that it was unclear whether these injuries were the result of corporate violence.
Canadians told to ‘evacuate’
Canadians in Puerto Vallarta were asked to “shelve in place” after violence erupted in the Mexican seaside city over the killing of cartel leader and drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, better known as “El Mencho,” during a military raid on Sunday.
“Gangs have set up roadblocks with burning vehicles in several cities in various parts of Mexico. There have been gunfights with security forces and explosions, including on streets and highways connecting the affected areas of Mexico City,” said Global Affairs Canada at the security agency.
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The GAC warned of security incidents in several Mexican states, including Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara are located.
In addition to Jalisco, security warnings were issued for Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Quintana Roo, Baja California and Nayarit.
“Residence” orders are in effect in Jalisco and Nayarit. Similar orders, including curfews, may be issued at short notice in other parts of the country, the GAC warned.
Air Canada said it has canceled six flights connecting Puerto Vallarta to three Canadian destinations, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. This includes three flights to and three flights from Puerto Vallarta, carrying fewer than 500 passengers each way, the airline said.
“We are monitoring the situation and working to get our customers back as soon as it is safe to do so. We will share more information as soon as possible,” Air Canada said in a statement.
WestJet said it diverted seven flights to Puerto Vallarta and canceled another 24 flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo, while Porter said it has canceled two round-trip flights from Ottawa and Toronto.
Daniel Drolet, a Canadian who has been wintering in Puerto Vallarta for years, said in a phone interview with Reuters that he is concerned that a new season of violence is beginning to emerge in the usually peaceful area.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said.
Within hours of Oseguera’s death, gunmen suspected to be his supporters blocked highways in several states and burned cars and businesses.
In other cities, tourists and residents were urged to stay indoors, while truck drivers were advised to take safer routes or return to their last stops until the violence subsided.
The outbreak of violence in more than a dozen states has drawn a familiar scene for Mexicans who have spent two decades watching successive governments battle drug cartels, ravaging the country.
A member of Oseguera’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel told Reuters the fire and gunfire were in retaliation for the government’s killing of Oseguera, and warned of bloodshed as gangs tried to regain control of his cartel.
“This attack was carried out with the intention of revenge for the death of this leader, first of all in the government and because of dissatisfaction,” said the person who did not want to be named.
“But later on, there will be internal killings, with groups coming in to take over.”
In the state of Jalisco, authorities reported that gunmen attacked a military police base of the National Guard and recommended that visitors stay inside hotels and stop public movement.
– With files from Reuters
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