Canadian tourists sheltering in place in Mexico recount burnt-out cars, lines for food

HALIFAX –  

Wendy Buelow wasn’t expecting to end her trip to Mexico by sleeping in the airport. 

But when violence broke out Sunday across Jalisco state, including the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, Buelow and her husband Dave were stranded at the airport. They had intended to fly back home to Winnipeg when the Mexican military shut down and secured the airport, keeping them and other passengers and staff inside the building. 

“We managed to get some pieces of cardboard from a storeroom and those were our beds,” Buelow said. 

While the airport offered no water or food to the passengers stuck inside, Buelow says one pizza restaurant remained open as long as it  could to serve travellers. 

Buelow was at the airport Sunday morning when violence erupted following the death of the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Mexican officials said Monday that at least 73 people died in an attempt by special forces to capture Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” The dead included security forces, suspected cartel members and others. 

Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, including in Puerto Vallarta, and sent smoke billowing into the air.

One Vancouver tourist said the streets were eerily quiet after he saw cars and buses burning near the Puerto Vallarta boardwalk Sunday. 

Marc Edge said he saw police on the street while walking Sunday morning, and “one of them had a machine gun and ordered us back to our hotel.”

In order to comply, Edge said he had to wait until the flames blocking his way died down.

“And then I gingerly picked my way past a couple of busses that had burned out.” 

Edge said Monday afternoon he had been sheltering inside his downtown hotel for 24 hours. 

He was among approximately 5,000 Canadians in Jalisco State, according to Global Affairs Canada. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Monday that more than 26,000 Canadians had registered as being in Mexico, but the agency suspects the actual number to be higher. 

Kelly Konieczny and her husband Tim arrived in Puerto Vallarta from their home east of Edmonton on Valentine’s Day. They’ve been to the area many times on vacation, and said they’re considering moving there when they retire.

The couple said the condo they’re staying at is “blocks and blocks” from the centre of the violence and that they haven’t felt unsafe, though they could see plumes of smoke from their window and a burnt-out car about 100 metres from their building.

Orders to shelter in place disrupted Konieczny’s scheduled dialysis treatment at a nearby hospital on Monday morning.

Security at their condo didn’t want to let the couple leave the building, but since the hospital was so close, they were able to negotiate their way out.

When they got to the hospital, however, the nurses who run the dialysis department weren’t there.

“Nobody was able to come in because there’s no public transit and no taxis, no Ubers are running,” Konieczny said on a video call, noting it’s no fault of the nurses.

She said she would return to the hospital in the afternoon in case  nurses arrive by then.

“I haven’t had (a treatment) since Friday and it’s cutting it close. You can really only go a couple days — which, now I’m on my third day — so we really need to get a treatment and that’s our worry,” she said.

If she doesn’t get dialysis, she said she’s likely to experience pain and other complications that will take time to get back under control. 

For Nakul Bhatia, a lawyer from Calgary, the most incredible part of being stuck in Puerto Vallarta has been the locals and staff still working at his resort in the marina district of the city. 

Bhatia said the staff were not allowed go home Sunday evening, but even after staying at work overnight, they made sure all the visitors were taken care of. 

“One woman at the front desk, we saw her at nine yesterday morning, and then again yesterday at eight p.m. And then this morning, she’s there again,” Bhatia said. “(The staff) are working hard and we’re very appreciative and grateful.” 

Bhatia was not worried about running out of food at the resort, though he said the staff have “pared down” the offerings, with just one of three restaurants open Monday. 

Edge said there have been long lines at the small corner stores that have remained open, and he’s not sure when he’ll be able to get a full meal. 

Most flights into and out of Puerto Vallarta have been cancelled or diverted, though the airport authority said the airport remained open Monday afternoon. Canadian airlines have not said when their flights will restart. 

Buelow was able to leave the airport Monday morning and has found a hotel, but said she was waiting to hear from WestJet on when she’ll be able to fly home to Winnipeg. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026. 

— With files from Nicole Thompson in Toronto; with files from The Associated Press.