ISLA MUJERES, Quintana Roo — Four Mexican tourists died after a boat carrying 19 people capsized or swamped between Cancun and Isla Mujeres, authorities said Tuesday.
The boat was carrying 17 passengers and a crew of two when the accident occurred late Monday. The captain of the boat survived and was taken into custody, according to the municipal government of Isla Mujeres.
Most of the passengers had to be rescued from the water by personnel from the Mexican Navy, local police and civil defense agencies. Volunteers with private boats also helped, according to Riviera Maya News.
The news site said two people were also hospitalized, including a 23-year-old woman in serious condition. All of the passengers were Mexican citizens.
It was not clear whether they were wearing life jackets.
Investigators in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo are looking into whether the boat had been overcrowded, or if rough weather played a role in the accident.
“We are analyzing the weather conditions and the boat's capacity, whether it had the capacity to carry those 19 people,” said Raciel López, the state attorney general.
There were reportedly high waves Monday night, and local media reported that the wake of a larger passing vessel may have played a role.
Riviera Maya News reported the La Diosa del Mar (Goddess of the Sea), was a 26-foot vessel with a capacity for six. We have not confirmed that.
The boat had left Cancun Monday evening to take the tourists to Isla Mujeres, an island 3.5 miles (7 kilometers) offshore from Cancun. The passengers had reportedly gone to a restaurant on the island and were returning to the mainland when the accident occurred.
“In accordance with the applicable laws, the captain of the boat Diosa del Mar was immediately turned over to the appropriate authorities to clear up responsibility” for the accident, the Isla Mujeres government said in a statement.
The narrow straight between Isla Mujeres and Cancun is a busy waterway plied by ferries, private pleasure craft and small charter craft. Because the area is so busy and popular among tourists, accidents have occurred in the past there.
In 2022, two American divers were killed in the waters off Cancun when a dive boat moved over them, despite flags and buoys warning they were there.
In 2018, a crude bomb exploded aboard a passenger ferry at Playa del Carmen, a resort further south on the coast, slightly injuring two dozen tourists, including foreigners.
In 2000, British singer Kirsty MacColl was killed by a boat propeller while diving at Cozumel, across from Playa del Carmen.