Footage of terrified travelers and workers running for cover at Guadalajara International Airport in Mexico hit X on Sunday after the airport was attacked by the dominant local drug cartel.

The attack was in response to the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel; The New York Times reported the drug boss—known by his nickname “El Mencho”—was killed by the Mexican government, along with at least six other cartel members, on Sunday.

Visegrad 24, on X, posted clips of the airport chaos that followed soon after. One clip showed airport employees and passengers scrambling for safety as others crouched behind desks and chairs, with a few men running while holding hands or carrying small children.

Another clip showed terrified passengers running with their luggage through one of the airport’s main concourses.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2025650442848407557

Details on what exactly happened at the airport are still unclear—including how many people were potentially hurt.

CBS News reported, “Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus Navarro activated a ‘code red,' which is a protocol for a state of emergency or security crisis, in response to the clashes. In a post on X, he said public transportation was suspended across Jalisco and urged people in the area to remain in their homes until the situation was under control.”

That same report mentioned social media platforms were filling up with frenzied clips from the airport, as well as a clip of smoke billowing above Puerto Vallarta, a coastal vacation town about 200 miles west of the airport.

American citizens in several Mexican states—including Jalisco, Nuevo Leon, and Michoacan—were warned by the U.S. State Department to “shelter in place until further notice.”

The New York Times report mentioned above said, “Oseguera’s killing set off a swift outbreak of violence across Mexico. In at least six states, including Jalisco, residents and the local authorities reported that burning vehicles were blocking streets, a common practice by drug cartels.”

That same report acknowledged the videos from the airport that were hitting X and other platforms but said the airport and the Mexican government said it was “operating as normal and that there was no risk to fliers.”

Source: Yahoo News