Eugene and Springfield travelers recount cancellations, evacuations after El Mencho killing

Travelers from Eugene and Springfield reported being locked down in Puerto Vallarta resorts and timeshares and watching fires and explosions after Mexican military officials killed Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes on Sunday, February 22. The killing and the subsequent security operation left roads blocked and airline schedules disrupted across Jalisco, leaving tourists uncertain when they could leave.

Springfield resident Todd Zimmerman, who was vacationing with his wife and friends, described waking to fires across the city and being held inside his resort. "When we woke up Sunday morning, it just looked like fires all over the city. And we really weren't quite sure what was going on until I got a phone call from somebody that said, hey, man, have you been on Instagram? You know what's going on down there? So after that, they pretty much locked us down in the resort," Zimmerman said.

Eugene resident Margaret Stevenson shared that she spent time in a locked-down timeshare before conditions eased and she was able to leave. Local travel agent Carolyn Voris of Premier Travel said the firm was closely monitoring the situation and urged customers to use travel agencies to manage delays. "If you're flying and your flights are delayed for other reasons, pretty easy to get a hold of us versus trying to get a hold of either the airlines or getting hold of your online travel agency that you booked with. They're not as easy to get through. You might be on hours. You book with us. We're here to help you make those changes. Call us, and we're the ones that are going to be working on your behalf," Voris said.

Visitors in Puerto Vallarta offered harrowing on-the-ground details: an anonymous Canadian staying near the port said he watched a car explode outside his hotel and “watched them explode a Jeep,” and reported seeing a burned bus and a burned car as evacuation efforts unfolded. He said a cruise ship picked up to 10 travelers from the port as airports and roads were affected. "I wasn’t really sure what was happening, then people from the street were running in," he said.

Seattle-based visitor Sean Leighton, staying in an Airbnb with his fiancée and a friend, went to a rooftop and saw three thick plumes of smoke two blocks away and largely empty streets except for motorbikes. "There are still destroyed cars in the street, but traffic is just driving around. I think the city is starting to move on. Kinda crazy to me," Leighton said.

Mexican military officials carried out the operation that killed El Mencho, and the mission "was carried out using intelligence support provided by the US government, the Trump administration said." The U.S. Embassy published an alert on February 23 saying, "We have no reports of road closures directed by local authorities, though some roads in Jalisco State (including between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta) are not yet fully reopened," and the U.S. State Department warned citizens in parts of Mexico to shelter in place. Federal road-status updates are being posted on the CAPUFE account on X.

Air and ground transportation to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara were brought nearly to a halt for two days by military operations and cartel-related blockades, triggering widespread cancellations of domestic and international flights; on Tuesday, February 24 flights to and from Jalisco’s airports began returning to normal schedules and, according to travelers, conditions improved enough that many were able to leave resorts and explore.