Elsewhere in the city, another American tourist, Dan Smith from Palm Springs, had to evacuate his building which stood among burning buses and other vehicles blocking roads. He said in a video clip: 'We're evacuating the building, propane tanks have exploded. Hoping the building doesn't catch on fire.'
His brother Richard was posting videos for Dan. He wrote on X: 'Please keep good thoughts for my brother Daniel. Puerto Vallarta is under siege. He is stuck downtown, and all roads in and out are closed off. He can't get home.
'Luckily, there are some friends downtown where he can hang out. Although it's been evacuated once already. The drug cartel is p***** off.'
El Mencho, real name Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was Mexico's most wanted man and leader and founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) since 2009.
He died in custody after being captured by Mexican special forces following a gunfight between his bodyguards and military commandos which left him seriously injured.
His men were armed with heat-seeking grenade launchers capable of piercing tank armor which were seized at the scene.
Following the battle, the drug lord died while he was being transported to the captial Mexico City from the town of Tapalpa, in Jalisco state, just south of Guadalajara in the Sierra Madre mountains.
At least six cartel men were killed in the operation while three soldiers were injured, the defence ministry said.
Tourists were trapped in the airport as gunfire rang out
Chaos ran through the airport
Firefighters work to extinguish flames from buses set on fire by in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Smoke billows from burning vehicles Cartel members have set alight to block roads in Puerto Vallarta
Americans in the country have been advised to 'shelter in place' by the United States Embassy in Mexico. The UK Foreign Office echoed the advice to British tourists.
Cartel members have been blocking roads across the country by commandeering buses and other vehicles and torching them in the street or by throwing spikes and nails down.
They have also targeted banks and local businesses like pharmacies, burning the storefronts.
Guadalajara has been a hotbed of violence and is host city for four FIFA World Cup group games this summer. Clips of Mexican forces exchanging fire with cartel members have also been shared on X and Instagram.
Nearby Puerto Vallarta, in the Jalisco coastal area, has also seen vehicles set ablaze and armed thugs on motorcycles and the sounds of their gunfire.
Cervantes was the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels that plays a key role in trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl to the US.
