Man shot dead by assassins who fled on jet skis outside luxury Cancun resort

The attack took place in tourist hotspot Cancun.  (Pixabay)
The attack took place in tourist hotspot Cancun. (Pixabay)

Terrified tourists fled for their lives after four assassins gunned down a man in a Cancun holiday resort.

The victim, a 30-year-old Mexican national, was shot outside the five star Hotel Riu.

Guests ducked for cover and were left holed up inside the hotel after the shooting, Turquesa News reported.

Two of the four assassination squad escaped on jet skis while the others ran from the scene.

Detectives are investigating whether the hit is related to drug trafficking and cartel-related crimes in Mexico.

Footage from the shooting shows panic-stricken guests in the $1000-a-night hotel lobby waiting for instructions from hotel staff.

One of the gunmen ran through the beach area of the hotel's neighbouring Dreams Hotel, local media reported.

Witnesses said the suspect was wearing dark Bermuda shorts and a black shirt.

The US State Department lists Mexico at a tier two danger level which means they advise caution when travelling there.

A statement said: 'While Mexican authorities endeavour to safeguard the country’s major resort areas and tourist destinations, those areas have not been immune to the types of violence and crime experienced elsewhere in Mexico.

“In some areas of Mexico, response time of local police is often slow. In addition, filing police reports can be time consuming.

“Increased levels of cartel-related violence have resulted in territorial disputes and targeted killings, injuring or killing innocent bystanders.”

This shooting happened two months after a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed after gunmen riding jet skis opened fire on a rival drug dealers on a beach in Cancún, Mexico. He was at the Caracol Beach next to the Riu Cancún with his family when he was hit by stray bullets.