OTTAWA - The Department of Foreign Affairs has added San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas to the list of Mexican states where it says Canadians should exercise "extreme caution."
The two neighbouring states in central Mexico are among those affected by "high levels of organized crime and urban violence," the department says in an update to its travel report on the country. The other states included in the advisory are Guerrero (including Acapulco), Nayarit, Michoacan and Veracruz.
Police found eight decomposing bodies Aug. 10 inside a car near a Zacatecas waterpark, a day after authorities located an SUV with 14 bodies stuffed inside along a highway in San Luis Potosi state.
The coastal area of southern Nayarit, popular among Canadians, remains "relatively safe" from Nuevo Vallarta to La Penita de Jaltemba, as do the capital cities of San Luis Potosi, Veracruz and Zacatecas, the department says.
"You should, however, exercise extreme caution when travelling outside the urban tourist areas."
The department also advises against all non-essential travel to many northern Mexican states where "shootouts, attacks and illegal roadblocks may occur at any time." For full details, go to http://tinyurl.com/atveze.
