PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – The bodies of two Canadians killed in a weekend explosion at a Mexican resort were expected to return to Canada on Tuesday as officials begin to piece together what led to the tragedy.
The gas explosion on Sunday at the Grand Riviera Princess Hotel, a sprawling complex in the beach-lined resort of Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula, killed seven people, including five Canadians.
Mexican authorities have said the blast, which tore a hole through one of the resort’s lobbies and injured 18, may have been caused by gas from a nearby swamp.
Quintana Roo state attorney general Francisco Alor told Postmedia News on Tuesday that six victims of the explosion remain hospitalized in Playa del Carmen and Cancun – three Canadians and three Mexicans. All were listed as stable.
"There’s no further risk of loss of life from the explosion," he said.
Canadian ambassador to Mexico Guillermo Rishchynski was in Quintana Roo state Tuesday, overseeing the Canadian response to the explosion. Alor said bodies of the victims would be repatriated by Wednesday.
The official investigation continued Tuesday and Alor said the findings could be given to prosecutors as early as Wednesday. The final report into the incident is expected to be made public.
Killed in the explosion were Christopher Charmont, 41 and his nine-year-old son, John, both from Drumheller, Alta.; Malcolm Johnson, 33, from Nanaimo, B.C – who was in Mexico for his wedding; Darlene Ferguson, a 51-year-old grandmother from the Edmonton area; and Elgin Barron, 51, from Guelph, Ont.
Two resort employees also died in the blast.
The cause of the blast remains in doubt. Preliminary investigations into the incident have indicated that "an accumulation of gas caused by the decomposition of organic material" underneath the building was behind the explosion, said Alor.
The damaged area of the hotel had been built four years ago on top of a swampy area, Alor said, ruling out any suggestion the blast was caused by an attack.
However, Gabriela Lima, a state official from the environment ministry, said the swamp gas theory was “unlikely.” He said that had the blast been caused by a buildup of organic gas, there would have been more frequent explosions in the area before Sunday, given that many buildings sit on top of mangroves and holes in the ground.
Meanwhile, Elgin Barron’s brother told Postmedia News on Tuesday that he disagrees with claims that Canadian consular officials were slow to help the surviving Canadian tourists.
Heather Bartzis had criticized the immediate response of Canadian officials, saying they did little to help her daughter, Terra Charmont of Drumheller, Alta., after her husband, Christopher, and her son, John, lost their lives in the blast.
Kevin Barron said he has been in Playa del Carmen since Monday at noon and insisted Canadian consular staff “have been nothing but spectacular.”
He said a Canadian official went to the morgue with him to identify his brother’s body and went in first because Barron wasn’t sure he could stand to see his brother’s corpse if it was in bad shape. “They have held my hand,” he said, adding he expects his brother’s body to be shipped back to Canada on Thursday.
Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs officials “are providing consular assistance to Canadian citizens as required,” said spokesman Alain Cacchione.
“The return to Canada of the remains of Canadian victims of the explosion is a priority for the Government of Canada. We are in regular contact with families who have lost loved ones, tour operators and local authorities to ensure the prompt return of the remains.”
According to the Mexican government, more than 21.5 million international tourists visited Mexico in 2009 – 1.2 million of them were Canadians.
– With files from Suzanne Wilton, Mike Barber and Jack Branswell
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