Mexico authorities confirmed at least two planes were shot at on Thursday by people linked to the Sinaloa Cartel after the arrest of local drug lord Ovidio Guzmán, the son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.
One of the planes was commercial flight Aeromexico Embraer E190, which was carrying passengers at the time. The cartel members shot at the aircraft while it was on the runway at Culiacan International Airport (CUL) in Mexico.
They also shot at a Boeing 737-800 registration FAM-3526 operated by the Mexican Air Force.
The Aeromexico flight was headed to Mexico City but was canceled. In a video taken onboard flight AM165, passengers can be seen hiding on the floor as shots are heard in the background.
Aeromexico released a statement, “This morning, we detected a bullet hole in the fuselage of an Embraer E190 aircraft that was ready to operate the flight AM165 on the route Culiacán-Mexico City. The flight was canceled for safety reasons.”
“The plane never began its departure. After this incident, all safety protocols were activated, we informed the authorities, with whom we will coordinate the investigations. The clients and employees are safe.”
The arrest of Guzmán has caused chaos, including trucks being set on fire, cars being looted, and blockades of roads in Sinaloa and nearby states. Mexican authorities have warned residents to stay at home, Travel Noire reported.
AeroMexico canceled all its scheduled flights departing to areas suffering from the violence, including the Sinaloan cities of Culiacan, Los Mochis, and Mazatlan, and three airports in the area have closed, including Culiacán International, Mazatlán International (MZT), and Los Mochis International (LMM) until further notice.
Other airlines, such as Volaris and VivaAerobus, also suspended flights to Culiacán and Mazatlán due to the outbreak of violence.
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