Quebecers in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday described scenes of chaos with cars on fire and columns of dark smoke rising up into the air during an outbreak in violence following the death of a top Mexican cartel boss.

“It was like being in a bad nightmare or a movie,” said Clodine Chartrand, in an interview from Puerto Vallarta where a shelter in place order was in effect.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — was wounded in a clash with federal authorities and died from his injuries while en route to Mexico City, the Secretariat of National Defence said in a statement.

Mass violence flared in several parts of Mexico after authorities announced the special forces operation to capture Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”

Chartrand said she and her husband were driving towards a resort when they encountered a car burning up in flames.

“So we went around and then there was another car flaming, then we heard some booms and then another car and then it was on and on,” she said.

After running into the sixth blown up vehicle, Chartrand says they felt trapped in the street.

So they left their car behind and ran for their lives, eventually making their way back to their condo.

Quebecer Edith Labbé, for her part, was on her way to a local sports bar to catch the third period of the Canada-USA gold medal hockey game when she first noticed a cloud of black smoke.

“Imagine an atomic mushroom, just a lot smaller,” she said. Unaware of what was happening she continued on to her destination.

It was near the end of the match that Labbé said the bar’s manager warned patrons — mostly Canadian tourists — of dramatic events unfolding in the city, that cars, buses and taxis were being blown up and they should consider going home.

WATCH | Plumes of smoke darken the skies over Puerto Vallarta:

Fires burn across the skyline in Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta

Smoke billows from fires in several pockets of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, during a wave of violence following an operation by federal authorities that killed a drug lord commonly known as ‘El Mencho.’

When Radio-Canada spoke to her, she was under lockdown at the local Costco.

“I deemed it was a safe place to take refuge when I saw I couldn’t head back home,” she said.

After about 15 minutes inside the store, a large metal gate at the front was closed and shoppers were told to stay away from walls and huddle in the middle instead. During that time, loud detonations could be heard outside.

Labbé said things calmed down after about an hour, and people were told they could leave if they wanted to.

“I preferred staying, others left,” she said, adding that cars were still burning outside and detonations could still be heard.

Quebec’s International Relations Minister Christopher Skeete said he’s preoccupied by the situation in Mexico.

In a post on X, Skeete urged Quebecers to stay home and register with the Canadian Embassy to receive the latest updates from authorities.

Several airlines cancelled flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, while other flights already in the air Sunday turned around before reaching the city.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in a statement that Canada “was deeply alarmed by reports of violence” and that the federal government was “closely monitoring the serious and rapidly evolving security situation.”

Global Affairs Canada also updated its travel advisory for Puerto Vallarta and other parts of the state of Jalisco.

It says there is a “shelter in place order” in Puerto Vallarta and that all taxi and ride-share services are suspended. All Canadians in Jalisco are advised to keep a low profile, monitor media and follow the orders of local authorities.

Despite the violence, Labbé said she’s OK and that messages from local officials have been trickling through on social media reassuring civilians that they aren’t being targeted in the attacks.

“So it’s purely a message they want to send to the government,” she said.

Despite feeling somewhat reassured, Labbé said she won’t be going out for walks anytime soon. She’s hopeful that she’ll be able to catch her flight back home to Canada on Thursday as planned.