Holy Week began on April 13th and ended on Sunday, April 20th. Although the country’s public schools return to school on Monday, April 28th, the peak vacation season is considered to be during the first holiday season, especially the weekend, as this is when some workplaces grant their employees days off.
In Veracruz, beaches, riverside areas, and resorts are favorites for tourists from the state and those visiting from outside. Operations were activated in areas with regular high traffic, as well as on highways.
Despite efforts by federal and state officials to implement security measures in the state, there is a red flag in Veracruz during this holiday season. Two minors drowned on different beaches, and more than 15 people required rescue assistance for various reasons.
4-Year-Old Girl Dies in Tuxpan
On Saturday, April 12, a 7-year-old girl drowned on San Antonio Beach, in the municipality of Tuxpan, in the north of the state. The girl was with a group of children from the “Hogares Providencia” children’s home in Mexico City.
According to preliminary reports, the girl entered the sea without the adults she was with noticing. She was later found floating, and immediate attention was required from security personnel to attempt to revive her, but it was unsuccessful.
The area was cordoned off by local authorities, and experts from the Veracruz State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) recovered the body and began the relevant investigation.
Teenager Dies in Actopan
Just a week after the tragedy in Tuxpan, on Saturday, April 19, a 15-year-old boy drowned at La Mancha Beach, located in the municipality of Actopan, on the state’s central coast. The minor was reportedly swimming in the sea when the people he was with noticed he was being swept away by the waves and notified authorities.
Despite the efforts of rescuers, it was not possible to rescue the teenager alive. He was originally from Tlaxcala and was visiting Veracruz for vacation. The area was cordoned off to continue the corresponding procedures and the recovery of the body.
Rescues
The governor of Veracruz, Rocío Nahle García, confirmed this Monday, April 21, in an interview with journalist Luis Ramírez Baquiero, that during Holy Week, more than 15 people were rescued on the state’s beaches.
“We intervened in the rescue of more than 15 people who were about to be swept away by the waves, so there were indeed quite a few people rescued, at least 15; great work by lifeguards and coastguards,” he said.
On Saturday, April 19 alone, the Veracruz Public Security Secretariat (SSP) reported three rescues of vacationers on the beaches of Chachalacas and Boca del Río. In the first case, two rescues were carried out, assisting a total of seven people in danger of drowning; one was an elderly person and the rest were minors.
In the case of Boca del Río, assistance was provided to a person struggling to get out of the water.
On April 16, the same Secretariat published a video of the rescue of eight people who were stranded at sea aboard a yacht.
Context of how many people arrived in Veracruz
In an interview with journalist Luis Ramírez Baquiero, Governor Rocío Nahle García confirmed that more than two million tourists arrived in the state of Veracruz for the Easter holiday period.
She explained that there was 100 percent occupancy in the main beach areas, such as Veracruz, Boca del Río, Tuxpan, Coatzacoalcos, and the Los Tuxtlas area, Costa Esmeralda, and “the places where we have rivers and pools of water,” she said.
“…it was good, with an economic impact, people had fun, people were out on the streets, peacefully and calmly. A major operation is being carried out by all security forces, the PC, and I believe that Veracruz is rebounding, as we had said, regaining its tourist essence, and we have a lot to offer, and so, with celebration, with peace, with tranquility.”
Source: lasillarota
