Tourists caught in drug-related violence in Tulum, Mexico, with recent incidents prompting warnings from the U.S. State Department about safety in Caribbean beach resorts.

Officials confirmed on Sunday that an American woman and a man from Belize were killed in a dispute between drug dealers at a beach club in the Mexican resort city of Tulum.

In the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo, prosecutors emphasized that the American woman had no ties to an alleged drug dealer killed in the Friday night shooting.

The woman's name and hometown were not disclosed by prosecutors, and the U.S. Embassy did not comment. It's possible she was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. Prosecutors refuted local media claims suggesting a relationship between the two victims, stating that a photo showed the Belizean man with a different woman.

Belize, a Central American country, shares a border with Mexico on the Caribbean coast. Tulum lies south of Cancun and Playa del Carmen, closer to Belize.

According to prosecutors, the deceased man was found with cocaine and pills, indicating he was a suspected dealer. The suspects involved in the shootings have been identified and are being pursued.

Tragically, foreign tourists have previously lost their lives in drug gang shootouts at the once-serene beach resort.

In 2021, in Tulum, two tourists—a California travel blogger born in India and a German national—were tragically killed while dining at a restaurant. They were reportedly caught in the crossfire of a gunfight between rival drug dealers.

Last year, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert advising travelers to "exercise increased situational awareness," particularly after dark, in Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum.