False bomb threat delays plane, tourists in Cancun

Soldiers boarded a plane at Cancun International Airport after apparently false reports Sunday of a bomb on board.

The flight 2168 was going from Cancun to Monterrey and was due to take off two hours earlier.

Footage shows passengers being taken off the Viva Aerobus plane and their luggage searched by sniffer dogs.

Airport security was stepped up to “red code,” the maximum level alert.

“Security measures were activated for a bomb threat,” federal police said. “So far there is nothing confirmed.”

Local media reported that it was a false alarm, but there has been no further information about what sparked the alert.

The rest of the airport is back working as normal and no other flights have been disrupted.

If authorities showed an abundance of caution, violence has been on the rise in the region as rival drug cartels battle it out for dominance.

Trouble between gangs was was previously separated from the tourist areas, but has now spilled over.

Cancun has been hit by tourists fears over the violence and the Thomas Cook crisis has also been a major blow.

Holiday firms offer packages to Cancun with an estimated 500,000 British travelers visiting annually.

There is also a seaweed mass the size of a large city, floating off the coast, waiting to come ashore. Scientists believe the problem with sargassum is now the new norm and due to pollution and climate change.