For that I went to the U.S. State Department's official list of Death of U.S. Citizens Abroad by Non-Natural Causes for the full year of 2011. Here's what I found for Puerto Penasco/Rocky Point.
In 2011 there was a total of three (3) deaths of U.S. citizens resulting from non-natural causes in Rocky Point.
- 1 Drowning 10/25/11
- 1 motorcycle accident 09/03/11
- 1 motorcycle accident 03/19/11
Between Oct. 2002 and Dec. 2011 there has been a total of 2,010 non-natural deaths of U.S. citizens in Mexico, and that includes everything from various accidents (motor accidents, falling off a balcony, drowning and so forth), to homicides, suicides, etc.
What about Canadians? While I don't have stats for Canadians in Puerto Penasco (yes, we get Canadian visitors), they have recently joined in the hysteria, aided by a willing press, especially following a January incident at Hotel Riu in Mazatlan when a young Canadian woman was discovered nude and severely beaten in an elevator. (An arrest has been made in that case, btw.) As should be expected, that sad story made headlines all over the country.
To counter the impression that Mexico is not safe for Canadian visitors, these facts have recently been cited:
In 2011 1.6 million Canadians visited Mexico— enough to fill the Air Canada Centre 80 times. Tragically, six (6) of those Canadians were murdered. In 2010, according to crime statistics compiled by the Department of Foreign Affairs, four Canadians were killed in Mexico, two in the Dominican Republic, one in Costa Rica, and five in the United States.
Also: in 2011, 21 Canadians died in accidents in Mexico and 76 died of natural causes (many of those among the 60,000+- retirees who live there).
In total, 22.67 million travelers visited Mexico in 2011 alone, not counting the many million who arrived by cruise lines, breaking the record set in 2008. The United States was the source of the largest number of visitors (an estimated 5 million), but the increase was also driven by travelers from other countries, whom Mexico is actively courting.
Do the math!
And that's the Buzz on the Beach for today.
Peace out...
About Beach Buzz: Not necessarily the news, this is a place for information, opinion, speculation, gossip, tips and other good stuff about Rocky Point, and Mexico in general. If you have something you'd like to share, I'd like to hear from you!
Contact me at lahuerita2@gmail.com
