Cancun, Q.R. — A 19 year old Chiapas woman died by drowning off a Cancun beach Wednesday morning. A group of youths entered the sea at Playa Tortugas around 3:00 a.m. for a late night swim.
One of the women from the group, 24 year old Maria “P”, said they had been drinking when they decided to go for a swim. While swimming, she heard her friend calling out for help, so she tried to rescue her but was unable to bring her back to shore.
Instead, she reported leaving her friend in the water to retrun to the beach and call 9-1-1 for help.
Cancun firemen and Civil Protection personnel arrived but were not able to conduct a search due to the extreme darkness. Authorities were forced to wait until 6:00 a.m. when there was enough light to start a search.
The body of 19 year old Lorena “P” was found around 7:00 a.m. by a Civil Protection diver who was part of the search team. Her body was located submerged approximately 15 meters from shore. Cancun Hotel Zone Tourist Police cordoned off the area while they waited for the medical examiner.
