Mexico assassins shoot man dead in front of horrified tourists on beach outside luxury five-star resort

As multiple gunshots were fired, hotel guests ran for cover while two of the assassins fled the scene on rented jet skis.

Witnesses say the other assassins ran away before police responded to the body on the sand.

The killing could be in relation to drug trafficking and cartel-related crimes, law enforcement has said.

Footage shows guests panicking in the hotel lobby with some screaming and calling others on the phone.

Hotel Riu said in a statement that the man shot dead was not a guest or employee at their hotel.

One of the gunmen was seen fleeing through the beach area of the hotel's neighbouring Dreams Hotel.

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The US State Department has placed Mexico at a Level 2 advisory, advising travellers to exercise heightened caution while visiting.

In a statement, it said: "While Mexican authorities endeavour to safeguard the country’s major resort areas and tourist destinations, those areas have not been immune to the types of violence and crime experienced elsewhere in Mexico.

"In some areas of Mexico, the response time of local police is often slow. In addition, filing police reports can be time-consuming.

"Increased levels of cartel-related violence have resulted in territorial disputes and targeted killings, injuring or killing innocent bystanders."

It comes after a 12-year-old boy was killed after gunmen riding jet skis attempted to shoot rival drug dealers on a beach in Cancun.

The child, named Santiago, was sitting on a chair on Caracol Beach next to the Riu Cancún when he was hit by multiple stray bullets on July 29.

He was rushed to hospital where he later died.