Vacationers in Cancun, Mexico, were left in shock Monday after three lifeless bodies were discovered on the beach outside a popular hotel.
The three individuals, all men, were identified as alleged drug dealers by local media, though Mexican government officials only confirmed that three people had been killed.
The Attorney General's Office for Quintana Roo, the Mexican state containing Cancun, opened an investigation into the matter on Monday after the three bodies were discovered on the beach outside the Fiesta Americana hotel.
"The authorities are working to clarify the facts and find the whereabouts of the person(s) responsible for these events," the Attorney General's Office wrote in a statement.
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Fiesta Americana did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Officials have yet to identify any of those killed.
Cancun remains the most popular vacation spot in Mexico for U.S. tourists, with thousands of students and others flocking to the coastal city each spring.
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Mexican authorities have stepped up security efforts in the region as the country struggles to control organized crime from human traffickers and drug cartels.
Nevertheless, Monday's incident comes just days after an American was shot in Cancun last week. Suspects allegedly approached the unnamed male around midnight and shot him in the leg on March 29.
The State Department, in a travel advisory, said American visitors to Mexico's coastal Quintana Roo state should "exercise increased caution due to crime and kidnapping" as "criminal activity and violence may occur in any location, at any time, including in popular tourist destinations."
"While not directed at tourists, shootings between rival gangs have injured innocent bystanders," the advisory said. "Additionally, U.S. citizens have been the victims of both nonviolent and violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas."
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
