British Columbians stranded in the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta say they woke up to explosions and burning vehicles after violence triggered a shelter-in-place order and grounded flights to and from the popular coastal city.

Yogi Omar, a Vancouver resident who is there celebrating his 40th birthday, said he initially thought the sounds he heard early Sunday morning were fireworks.

“Then my friend was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re blowing shit up,’” Omar said. “So, I went out and it was like cars blowing up here, there, everywhere … it just looked like a war zone.”

Omar said guests in the apartment building he is staying at were briefly evacuated after a car was set on fire near a gas station across the street. He later took shelter at a nearby home with about 200 others.

“We’re all starving, so we’re just trying to find any crackers, anything that we can find,” he said. “More than anything else, we just want to make sure that we’re safe.”

Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, is famous for being a welcoming destination to the 2SLGBTQ+ community, especially for gay men.

Omar, a queer Vancouverite, describes it as “a little slice of heaven.” While it’s known for its party scene, the area is rich in culture and art, and there’s something for everyone, he says.

“There’s not so many places that we can just exist authentically,” he says. “I can just be. I don’t have to explain, I don’t have to justify.”

But Sunday’s violence has shaken that sense of safety, he says.

Flights cancelled, Canadians told to shelter in place

The unrest prompted widespread flight cancellations, including flights between Vancouver International Airport and Puerto Vallarta. 

In a statement earlier Sunday, YVR said flights scheduled to operate between the two cities today have been cancelled.

Flight tracking data shows some Canada-bound planes turned around mid-flight.

Global Affairs Canada issued a travel advisory for the coastal city west of Mexico City and other parts of Jalisco, saying it is under a shelter-in-place order.

The agency says nearly 19,000 Canadians are registered in Mexico, including nearly 5,000 in Jalisco.

The mass violence flared as federal authorities announced it had launched a special forces operation to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Oseguera Cervantes was wounded in a clash with federal authorities and died from his injuries while enroute to Mexico City, the Secretariat of National Defence said in a statement.

Jalisco’s governor said on social media Sunday afternoon all public transport will remain suspended until the situation is under control, saying some individuals had burned vehicles and set up road blocks to impede the authorities.

Travellers describe scenes of chaos

Leigh Carter of Courtenay, B.C., said she heard “loud booms” and what sounded like gunshots Sunday morning while staying with friends in the city’s downtown area.

“There were constant explosions and constant siren sounds and then almost no other sound,” Carter said. “It got very quiet. I didn’t even hear dogs or roosters.”

She said burned vehicles appeared to have been placed at key intersections and access points.

Direct flights from Comox to Puerto Vallarta are popular among local residents and typically in high demand, Carter said.

The Mexican resort city is a frequent winter getaway for many British Columbians, including Ryan Voutilainen, a Vancouver resident who had been scheduled to fly home Sunday evening.

“Winters can be fairly wet so this was my opportunity to … take the ability to break from the weather,” he said.

Voutilainen, who often visits Puerto Vallarta, said this is the first time he has ever felt unsafe in the city.

He says he saw vehicles deliberately set on fire near his Airbnb in the Zona Romántica neighbourhood.

“A group of five, maybe more on motorbikes racing up the street … witnessed the … set it ablaze. And then went and began ransacking a local quarter store.” 

Voutilainen’s flight home was cancelled, and he now expects to remain in Puerto Vallarta for several days.

“Everything is closed,” he said. “We have enough to get us going at least until tomorrow, and then we’ll figure it out as we go along.”

Authorities in Jalisco have urged residents and visitors to remain indoors until the situation stabilizes.