'That's when I saw the carnage': Australians tell of Mexico nightclub shooting chaos
Two Australian men caught up in a deadly nightclub shooting in Mexico have detailed how they escaped the mayhem uninjured.
The Australians were among about 2000 in the party at the Blue Parrot Nightclub in Playa Del Carmen, south of Cancun, when gunshots rang out.
Five people are dead. The fatalities are believed to include a Canadian, an Italian and three security guards.
It is believed one of the dead my have been killed in a stampede as people rushed to escape the gunshots.
Fifteen other people were hurt in the final night of the music festival.
Perth man Jhana Green was in the club as it happened, and said he helped a man who had been shot amid the chaos.
"Shots went off and everyone ducked down - first shots then another three shots and then I just got up and had a look around," he said.
Another Australian, Daniel Cippoloni, said he stayed at his hotel but saw the aftermath outside as he emerged.
"I saw my friends bolting back to our room at which point I went on the streets to gather everyone and that's when I saw the carnage," he said.
Mr Cippoloni said he rushed to the scene to find the rest of his friends.
Another group of Perth friends earlier said they too had been caught up in the deadly shooting.
The Perth group had been at the closing party for the BPM music festival at the Blue Parrot nightclub when shots rang out.
In video uploaded onto social media, hundreds of panicked partygoers are seen fleeing the area and running through the streets.
"People started running because there's an exit in the back. We stopped and hid behind a cement wall, then crawled under a metal table," witness Valerie Lee told MixMag.
"Security guards at first didn't think it was shots and kept claiming it was fireworks, saying everything was OK.
"Then people kept running and said they saw a gun. We kept hiding until they opened the back gate and we ran outside."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is yet to confirm whether any Australians have been injured in the attack.
The BPM festival is an annual event, now in its 10th year.
The event, which features more than 375 artists, has reportedly been shut down as authorities work to find the shooter responsible.
