‘Pretty scary’: Maritimers describe chaos in Puerto Vallarta

Maritimers on vacation in Mexico share concerns about their safety and getting home as violence erupts in the region.

A video call is how Ashley Field stays connected to her parents in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

“When my mom first called me and said that she heard explosions going off and saw cars on fire everywhere, I thought she was joking with me,” says the Dartmouth woman.

On Sunday, the Mexican army killed the leader of a major drug cartel during a security operation near Puerto Vallarta, in western Mexico. Authorities later deployed the army and the National Guard to restore order, following a surge of violence and unrest.

Speaking to CTV News on Monday, Jim and Marie Field are hoping the worst of the civil unrest is behind them.

“It was very unsettling yesterday morning to wake up to sounds of explosions and seeing black smoke,” says Marie Field.

She describes the scene as “quite eerie” and “very similar to a warzone.”

But things improved as of Monday.

“Today is a little bit different,” she says. “We certainly hope the worst is over.”

Flights in limbo

Aaron Murnaghan, a Halifax resident, is staying at a rental with a view that overlooked the chaos on Sunday.

“It was pretty scary,” he says. “Most of the major streets below us here that access the town were blockaded with burning vehicles.”

But one day later, the situation feels less tense.

“I’m feeling much better today,” Murnaghan says. “Still obviously uneasy, wondering about whether we’ll be able to get home.”

That’s because his return flight is scheduled for tomorrow. But with flights in limbo, he questions whether or not it will proceed as planned.

“We had planned to potentially go to Cuba, but of course, with the situation there, we decided on an alternate location and thought this would be a good one and a safe one,” he tells CTV News. “For most of the trip, it was. But now, obviously, that’s changed.”

26,000 Canadians registered with Global Affairs Canada: Ottawa

More than 26,000 Canadians have registered with Global Affairs Canada as of Monday morning, said Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.

But Ottawa expects the actual number of Canadians there to be much higher.

Asked whether she believes Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has the situation under control, Anand said her concern is for the safety of Canadians. She added she was not given any forewarning the security operation would be taking place, nor does she believe other Canadian government officials were informed.

“This is an operation that the Mexican government decided to undertake regarding the domestic affairs of Mexico,” Anand said, when asked whether she has offered help to the Mexican government. “Our concern is the safety and security of Canadians, and the assistance that we are offering is to ensure that Canadians remain safe and sound.”

Anand said the situation should “normalize” in the coming days, but that it “remains fluid.”

‘This is like home’

Jeanne d’Arc Gaudet, a Moncton woman staying in Puerto Vallarta, says the unrest was close on Sunday.

“It was right in front of our door,” she says. “There was a car burning maybe 100 feet from here.”

Still, she says she won’t be deterred from visiting again in the future.

“This is like home,” she says. “We don’t really feel like the tourists, we don’t feel that we are being threatened at all.

“It’s a war between government and army and the cartels.”

She said she’s not worried at this point.

“If you like travelling a lot, you know that these are possible things that can happen.”

With files from CTV’s Spencer Van Dyk