By APBNews
A Cancun prison riot sent gunfire rippling through an all-inclusive resort Friday, dashing the dreams of some guests before emergency workers managed to clear the area.
The unrest had already shaken Mexico’s top beach destination the previous night when gunmen stormed an upscale hotel in Cancun’s throbbing tourist district, dragging off frightened guests.
The latest trouble started when the inmates of Cancun’s Mostajo prison ran away and started a shootout with guards, according to the federal Attorney General’s Office. The gunmen were from an armed gang that goes by the name of Los Zetas.
Those gunmen continued the fight through the afternoon before they were finally driven off by helicopter.
Police cars raced to the Wyndham Hotel, in the Santo Domingo hotel zone. The Wyndham was filled with panicked guests until the hotel released a statement promising that “reservations made for today will be honoured and our customers will not be subject to extra security measures.”
The battle has no apparent casualties among the guards at the prison.
Though the Wyndham is not facing a security threat, some guests on another Wyndham hotel, the Centro Americano, were alerted of gunfire in the area by an extra security presence and other guests told police and hotel staff of the threat.
The hotel refused to comment.
The Mexican military deployed troops in Cancun and several surrounding beach resorts as a precaution.