Winnipeggar Scott Naharniak ushers in the new year with his family mazatlan, Mexico. The family of five wanted to take one last trip together before their oldest started university.
“It was our last hurray before we move on to a new chapter in life,” he said.
But as they prepared to return home on January 6, they discovered their flight to Winnipeg with Sunwing Vacations Inc. was canceled.
“They came and told us the airport was closed, there was a backlog and there were no flights,” Naharniak said.
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Naharniak learned through others at the resort that Ovidio Guzmán, son of famed cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, is fighting in Mazatlán after his arrest. Alleged cartel members set vehicles on fire and fired shots at airplanes at the local airport in protest. Although Naharniak and his family were unaware of any violence, they had seen plumes of smoke rising from the city the day before.
“We saw black smoke from the fire, and there was a huge security presence on the beach,” he said. “We thought people were setting off fireworks…we were wrong.”
Sheila North, another Winnipegger on vacation in Mazatlan, also saw smoke as she and her family went back to their resort after sightseeing.
“We were on a boat, and we could see the mainland, and there were plumes of smoke and black helicopters,” she said.
North started getting messages from friends back home asking if he and his family were okay. He watched the Canadian news, where he read about the arrest and subsequent reprisals.
“It takes on a different meaning when you’re right here, right where I am, because anything can happen,” she said.
North said she felt safe, but noted that the atmosphere at the resort became tense as more people became aware of what was happening. It is difficult to get direct information about how safe the surrounding areas are, he said.
“We are only getting updates from family, social media and checking news websites,” she said. “Beyond that, we won’t be getting any updates.”
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Naharniak said he felt safe at his resort as well, but some of the employees using Google Translate were concerned.
“They heard gunshots and had to lock their doors and stay inside their homes,” he said.
Naharniak said Sunwing has allowed passengers affected by the flight cancellations to stay at the resort, but has not told them when they can return to Winnipeg.
Mazatlan’s General Rafael Buelna International Airport has reopened after being closed on Thursday, but many flights are delayed or canceled. According to Sunwing’s website, the next flight from Mazatlan to Winnipeg will leave on January 7.
Global News reached out to Sunwing Vacations Inc. for comment. TechRepublic reached out to but did not receive a reply till the time of publication.
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