Panic at Cancun Airport, Mexico, after detonation inside terminal building

The unintended detonation inside Cancun’s airport terminal building caused a stampede of tourists who, still with their suitcases in hand, fled the airport building. Airport staff also ran away out of fear. 

The terminal building was quickly evacuated as many passengers believed that somebody was waving with a gun. A witness posted this on his social media page: “We were in security at Cancun Airport when we heard what sounded like gun shots, numerous shots. Everyone ran and started screaming. Security was ram packed, hundreds of people running at us. We just tried to run, lost our bags, got pushed against the wall, and Craig just kept shouting: get down, get down! The airport is in lock-down now, the army is everywhere with guns, to say we are petrified is an understatement. We are currently locked in security at the moment. No one else is allowed up.”

The head of the Secretary of Public Safety, Lucio Hernández Gutiérrez confirmed that a firearm detonated inside the airport terminal, for which several emergency services rushed to the scene: “Emergency services received a call about detonations of a firearm in terminal 3 of the Cancun Airport, all the authorities are onsite, at the moment there are no injuries, percussion cartridges or further indications that confirm the fact. The teams are still checking.”

eTurboNews Security Expert Dr Peter Tarlow, who is also involved in training tourism police in Mexico received information from federal police sources in Mexico City, that the gunshots were mistaken for an x-ray machine in the baggage area of the airport that had exploded.

It’s not clear why the machine exploded, but it becomes more and more clear no deadly shootings had been taking place at Cancun airport.