Family's Mexico ‘dream holiday' turns into terror as gunfight erupts at poolside
A firefighter has told how his family were forced to flee for their lives after a gun battle erupted just metres away from their sun loungers during an £8,000 dream holiday in Mexico.
Colin Nulty, his wife, and their 14-year-old daughter had been looking forward to relaxing by the pool with cocktails at the Riu Palace Costa Mujeres. Instead, they found themselves hiding under a lounger as shots rang out.
'We were sunbathing by the side of the pool and positioned right next to the Tequila Bar, near to where they serve the drinks, as that was our usual spot,' Colin told The Mirror.
'Our daughter had just left us to go upstairs. My wife and I decided to go for a cigarette at our usual spot down the ramp to the beach. Gunfire erupted and my wife and I instinctively ran back to our sun lounger and hid behind while crouching on the floor.
"My wife was crying, and people were running everywhere trying to hide behind something. I messaged my daughter whilst hiding, telling her to stay in the room, stay quiet, and lock the door as there is a shooting going on.'
Colin, from Bolton, waited for a pause in the gunfire before rushing to see if anyone needed help.
'I have advanced trauma care skills,' he explained. 'I assessed the scene and told my wife I was going to see who had been shot and if I could help them. No shots had been heard for a while, so I deemed this a suitable risk if it saved a life.
'I approached the bar, scanning for gunmen, and I could see the man on the floor was displaying what we term in the services as 'injuries incompatible with life.' He was already past help.
"It is at this moment that a man with a gun came out of the male toilet door, and he was very agitated but in control and scanning for threats. In hindsight, he seemed trained and held his weapon in a controlled manner.
"He shouted at me to go away and also shouted at a group of American teenagers who were filming the events unfolding on their mobiles.'
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Realising the danger, Colin rushed back to his wife. The family later barricaded themselves in their room, terrified.
After the ordeal, TUI offered to move them to another hotel, but en route they learned of another shootout at their proposed new resort, the Princess Hotel. They returned to their original hotel and flew home the next day.
'It was horrific and terrifying without a doubt,' Colin said. 'The fear of thinking you are in the middle of a terrorist attack of some kind is scary indeed. We were unaware until some time after the incident that it was an undercover police operation gone wrong, so, of course, we thought it was terror-related.'
The incident has had lasting effects. Colin revealed his wife has since been diagnosed with severe PTSD: 'These events had a big impact on my wife's daily life and still do to this day. It has had a massive impact on the dynamics of the home and day-to-day life of going out and walking our dogs. Everything has changed since the holiday.
"My wife has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with Severe Emotional Dissociation. She is on the waiting list to receive treatment and counselling.'
Riu Hotels and Resorts said the shooting was part of an 'operation carried out by the Prosecutor's Office targeting a group of drug dealers in the area,' with armed individuals entering the hotel grounds.
Colin has since been refunded eight days of his trip – worth £3,873.57 – plus a £1,000 TUI voucher, but he insists it's not enough. 'We were refunded exactly eight days of the holiday, their reasoning being we had a nice time up until the shooting incident.
'Initially, TUI was responsive to emails and I had many phone conversations with a handler. However, I have never received anything in writing from them acknowledging the incident, or anything saying they are refunding or compensating.
'They have since refused to answer any of my correspondence or comment on this case with any other companies or media offices that have contacted them.'
Frustrated, Colin has turned to ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, and plans to take the case to small claims court. 'I only ever asked for a full refund of the holiday, but TUI's refusal has left me no choice other than to go through ABTA and then small claims court. They have made it so hard for us and they do this intentionally hoping I will just stop, but I won't.'
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