THE body of a missing tourist has washed up on a popular Mexican beach as fears grow for a fellow holidaymaker who vanished alongside him.
31-year-old Canadian Braydon Bretzer and 40-year-old American Chris Ankele were both swept away by a strong current while swimming in dangerous waters, leading to their disappearance.
Authorities said the pair were last seen off Zicatela Beach in Puerto Escondido on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.
Both were caught being pulled away by the choppy waters and drifted out into the sea before vanishing without a trace, investigators said.
A local Oaxaca Civil Protection unit and a team of lifeguards desperately launched a search and rescue mission but couldn’t find either of the men.
Tragic footage was later recorded on Monday afternoon showing Bretzer’s body floating in the water.
An emergency boat rushed out to bring the man to safety but he was pronounced dead due to drowning, according to initial reports.
Ankele’s body is yet to be recovered.
Tributes to Bretzer, a former youth football coach and freelance marketing consultant, have been paid by his friends back home in Saskatoon.
Graeme Bouvier said: “On the night of May 25th, we lost a very special friend, brother, son and teammate.
“Braydon’s sudden passing has left a deep hole in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
“Braydon lived life to the fullest. He had a contagious energy, and a heart that made space for everyone.”
A GoFundMe page has also been set up by Bouvier to help fly Bretzer’s body back home to Canada and to give his family any additional support.
It has raised over $8,500 so far.
On Thursday evening, the San Pedro Mixtepec mayor’s office stated that search operations were still underway to locate the missing second tourist, in line with the sea search plan protocols.
The municipal government expressed its dedication to managing the emergency situation and is in continuous cooperation with state and federal agencies.
Zicatela Beach is known as a bustling tourist hotspot and is popular with surfers due to its massive waves.
But due to the dangerous conditions and often fast flowing waters, holidaymakers are urged not to swim for their own safety.
Braydon lived life to the fullest. He had a contagious energy, and a heart that made space for everyone
Graeme Bouvier
A number of deadly trips to the beach in recent years have resulted in these warnings being constantly repeated to travellers.
In April, a 22-year-old Miguel Robles drowned at the beach with his brother Benjamín Robles, 26, having to be rescued by horrified onlookers and lifeguards.
And in May 2023, Romanian holidaymaker Andra Kitsu, 33, drowned despite warning flags reminding visitors to stay out of the water.
Last month, another missing tourist was also found dead just days after desperately trying to save his friend from a riptide during their vacation in Mexico.
Alejandro Gonzalez, 20, vanished while swimming in the ocean after he managed to save his female friend who was in difficulty.
His body was found after a three-day search.
A loving mum was also killed in a Mexican beach horror story after a shark tore off her leg while she lifted her five-year-old to safety.
Maria Fernandez Martinez Jimenez, 26, was just 65ft from the shore when she was savaged by the beast at Melaque Beach in the state of Jalisco.
