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TERRIFIED passengers “stampeded” at Cancun International Airport after “explosions” caused an “active shooter” false alarm.
Local reports initially claimed “shots” were fired in the Terminal 3 building but officials have now said it was probably caused by a fault in the bagging area.
Footage on social media show dozens of people running out of the terminal building.
People are said to have been trampled on as the crowds desperately tried to reach safety.
There has been no official confirmation of an active shooter at the airport.
Attorney General Oscar Montes de Oca indicated that it could be the explosion of a machine in the baggage area.
Secretary of Public Security of the State Lucio Hernández Gutiérrez said that at the moment no injuries, percussion cartridges or further evidence confirming firearm detonations had been located.
Cancun Airport’s Emergency Operations Centre said an investigation had been launched but there are no signs of detonations of firearms or explosions in any area of the airport.
“Terminal 3 operations were temporarily suspended to guarantee passenger safety, which was never at risk,” the statement said, according to local newspaper De Peso.
The investigation is ongoing.
Personnel from the Navy, Army and National Guard are said to be at the scene, according to a local radio station report.
One Twitter user said: “At the airport in Cancun waiting for a flight and just saw a herd of people running and screaming towards me. People ducking behind counters and chairs.
“People seem to think someone had a gun, but security can’t confirm. Terminal has at least partially been evacuated.”
Twitter user @blainless said: “everybody’s reclaiming their phones now – lots of people (myself included) just went for cover without them.”
Another passenger said: “There was just a major shooting in the airport right behind where we were sitting. We all got trampled hitting the ground and crawling on the floor but we’re ok.”
One witness said: “Sounded like a bomb went off then stampedes of people running towards our direction.
“Absolutely chaotic. It’s died down, happened 10-15 mins ago.”
A passenger said: “Huge stampede in terminal 3 about 20 mins ago. We hid in the c14 tunnel connecting the airport and the plane.
“Was told it’s safe now… everyone is just waiting for an update.”
One eyewitness said on Twitter: “At the airport in Cancun waiting for a flight and just saw a herd of people running and screaming towards me. People ducking behind counters and chairs.
“People seem to think someone had a gun, but security can’t confirm. Terminal has at least partially been evacuated.”
Cancun International Airport is Mexico’s second busiest airport after Mexico City’s airport.
Cancun, on the Yucatan Peninsula bordering the Caribbean Sea, is a popular destination for both British and US holidaymakers.
Cancun is also a famed destination for students during universities’ spring break period.
The United States Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) recently issued a travel advisory for Americans planning travel to Mexico, saying they should be “aware of the rampant crime in Mexico, including the risk of robbery, sexual assault and illegal drug use, even in popular tourist destinations.”
Riviera Maya destinations such as Playa del Carmen, Cancún and Tulum have been hit in recent times by a spate of brutal murders as gangs wrestle to control the booming drug trade.
Last week sanitation workers reportedly discovered the dismembered remains of four adult males at Villas del Sol in Playa del Carmen.
Earlier in the month British businessman Chris Cleave, 54, was gunned down and killed execution-style in front of his 14-year-old daughter, also near Playa del Carmen.
And in January the manager of a trendy beach club was found dead just five days after two Canadian citizens were killed in a shootout at a hotel, again in Playa del Carmen.
In 2021, Cancun Airport handled 22,318,467 passengers.
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