A 32-year-old Canadian woman has been killed and several people injured after a man opened fire at a historical site in Mexico, according to Mexican officials. The gunman killed himself after the attack.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has expressed her solidarity with the victims of a shooting at one of the country’s most important tourist destinations, the ancient pyramid complex of Teotihuacán.
It comes with seven weeks to go before the first match of the Fifa World Cup is held in Mexico City.
“There was a big push and panic of everybody running at the same time to get out,” a British couple have told the BBC, describing chaotic scenes amid the sound of gunfire.
The pre-Hispanic pyramids and ruins at Teotihuacán are a Unesco World Heritage Site and among the most popular tourist attractions in the country.
Police recovered a firearm, a bladed weapon, and live cartridges at the scene. Sheinbaum said she was following updates and was in touch with the Canadian embassy.
She wrote on social media that she had instructed her security cabinet to investigate the incident and provide all necessary support.
“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” she wrote in Spanish.
Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, confirmed a Canadian was killed and another wounded in the incident. She said Canadian consular officials were providing assistance.
The BBC has contacted the Canadian government for more information.
State Security Secretary Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo told reporters on Monday that two Colombians, a Russian and a Canadian were among those injured.
The gunman’s identity has not yet been released, and officials haven’t revealed a motive for the shooting.
In Mexico on holiday, a British couple from London, who did not want to be named, were taking a photo of the Pyramid of the Sun when they saw people start running towards them and shouting about a gunman.
“Gunfire was becoming louder and more frequent and people around us felt the same, because a couple of people shouted things like, ‘They’re coming this way,’ which created quite a lot of panic,” they told the BBC.
The couple persuaded their tour group to make their way to an exit, despite some confusion as to what was unfolding – as they reached the ticket gates, they saw tourists still entering the site.
“There was no coordinated evacuation whatsoever – we could see that there were officials running around, but none of them were telling anyone to leave,” they told the BBC.
They added they were not subject to any security checks when entering the site, despite having a backpack with them.
“You never think it’s going to be the situation you have to deal with, but ultimately we are okay,” they said.
“I think, fundamentally we are the lucky ones – someone lost their life today.”
The Teotihuacán is an ancient city, home to massive pyramids, and predates the Aztecs.
It will be the site of an immersive nighttime show for tourists during the World Cup this summer, the Mexico state government announced earlier this month.
Earlier this year, the Mexican Government was forced to reassure people that security will not be an issue during the tournament after gunmen from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel terrorised numerous cities amid burning barricades and gun violence following the killing of the group’s leader, Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho”.
While this latest incident appears to have no link to drug violence: the victim was a Canadian tourist shot by a man who opened fire from the site’s iconic Pyramid of the Moon.
The shooter then apparently took his own life. Several more victims, citizens from Colombia, Russia and Canada, were injured and are being treated in hospital.
Despite the widespread cartel violence in Mexico, such incidents involving tourists are rare.
The opening game of the World Cup will be held in Mexico City on 11th June, between Mexico and South Africa. The tournament is expected to draw some 5.5 million international visitors, Mexican officials have said. As World Cup co-hosts, Mexico plans to deploy nearly 100,000 security personnel to protect fans at this summer’s tournament, amid ongoing drug cartel violence in the country
