Tourist hub Puerto Vallarta is dead quiet in the wake of violence in Mexico (PHOTOS)

Marc Edge says the streets of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, are eerily quiet a day after fire and violence engulfed the popular tourist destination on Sunday.

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The communications professor from Vancouver says he saw billowing clouds of black smoke and burned out vehicles while walking on the boardwalk.

A burned-out bus is shown near the boardwalk in the tourist area of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in this image provided by Canadian Marc Edge.Marc Edge | THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout

The Canadian government issued a shelter in place order for tourists following the death by Mexican special forces of the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

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

Smoke from car and bus fires beside the boardwalk in the tourist area of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, are shown in this image provided by Canadian Marc Edge. Marc Edge | THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout

Edge says he’s been sheltering in place in his hotel and waiting to see if the Puerto Vallarta airport reopens in time for his scheduled flight on Tuesday.

Edge is just one of the approximately 5,000 Canadian tourists Global Affairs Canada says are currently in Jalisco State.

Mexican officials say at least 73 people are dead, including security forces, suspected cartel members and others, following the killing Sunday morning of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”

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

— With files from The Associated Press.

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