Canadians in Mexico’s popular Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara areas have been warned to stay inside due to escalating violence between drug cartels and police.
The Embassy of Canada in Mexico issued a statement on social media urging tourists and residents in the state of Jalisco to limit their movements in cities and follow the advice of law enforcement.
“Please note that narco-blockades have been affecting areas in and around Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara,” the embassy said. “Local authorities have advised [people] to remain at home.”
Images of some of the cartel blockades show torched trucks, buses and cars being used to block off transit routes in the state, which is located in western Mexico along the Pacific coast.
Canadians in the region have also been warned to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.
Last month, 15 Jalisco police officers were killed in a drug cartel ambush that was carried out by creating a fiery blockade on a rural road, according to local media, and there was a failed assassination attempt on the state’s Security Commissioner in late March.
Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there’s no nationwide advisory in effect for Mexico, but tourists are urged exercise extreme caution in Jalisco and Nayarit, as well as the states of Baja California, Morelos, San Luis Potosi, Veracruz and Zacatecas.
The ministry said coastal tourism-heavy areas of Jalisco and Nayarit remain “relatively safe” but people should still be careful.
The Yucatan Peninsula, which includes Cancun and Riviera Maya, has been largely unaffected by the violence, according to officials.
The Embassy of Canada in Mexico advised travelers to get in touch with their emergency contacts back home to let them know where they are, and whether the violence has affected them.
For more information, visit the Canadian government’s travel advisory page for Mexico.
With files from The Associated Press