Chaos erupted inside a Cancun airport after knocked down signs were mistaken for gunfire on Monday.
Multiple videos circulated on social media showing panicked tourists running through the international airport, desperately seeking shelter amid the loud noises the signs made. Some people believed that an active shooter was present, while others thought an explosion had occurred. Either way, those present were extremely frightened, and some guests reported that security could not provide any information on what was happening initially.
At the Cancun airport, got caught in the stampede and locked in the store between security and the terminal. Lots of rumors, no clear explanation of what happened. Video is after the running. pic.twitter.com/uQmGETotsr
— @ohmykevin (@ohmykevin) March 28, 2022
https://twitter.com/nbahhanbahob/status/1508521930395029508
Flights were halted briefly following the early reports of a shooter on airport grounds. However, Mexico’s National Guard confirmed that no shots were fired. According to a statement issued by the airport’s Emergency Operations Center, their investigation confirmed that this was a case of a “false alarm” caused by “three ‘totem-style’ signposts.” A passenger trying to get to their boarding gate caused the 110-pound signs to fall.
Many passengers suffered injuries after being knocked down and trampled. Several of them were elderly people, though the extent of their injuries remains unclear.
After last week’s discovery of four bodies dumped in undergrowth in the city, Cancun tourists remain on edge. Authorities confirmed that the Jalisco cartel murdered the victims. Violence such as this has become common in the vacation town, which has been rocked by brutality caused by rival drug traffickers.
