State prosecutors in Mexico announced Tuesday morning that two Canadians have been found stabbed to death in a resort located in Playa del Carmen.
The names and hometowns of the two Canadians are not yet available, though law enforcement said that the male victim had multiple identities and was sought by Interpol on interational wire fraud charges. The Daily Beast reported that both victims had been staying in the area for several months prior to their deaths.
A security guard in the resort complex was also injured, though it has not been confirmed if the guard’s injury was in direct connection with the two killings.
Global Affairs Canada told the Associated Press in a statement that it is “aware of reports that Canadian citizens have been affected by an incident in Mexico” and that “consular officials are contacting local authorities to gather more information and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”
The Playa del Carmen region of Mexico, which includes popular vacation towns like Cancun and Tulum, has made headlines for drug and crime-related violence several times over the last year. One instance was in November when two suspected drug dealers were killed in a shootout in Puerto Morelos.
Prosecutors in Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula are, for now, handling the killings of the two Canadians. The state, which is home to a large number of Mayan archeological sites, has doubled in population over the last twenty years.
