ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Violence erupted across parts of Mexico on Sunday after Mexican authorities said cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed during a military operation.

Officials said the operation targeting the powerful cartel figure triggered unrest in several states, including road blockages, burning vehicles and reported explosions.

Alexander Cors, who lives in Midtown Atlanta, said he woke up Sunday morning to the sound of multiple explosions outside his vacation rental south of Puerto Vallarta’s airport.

“Really loud detonation. Everyone was wondering what’s happening,” he said. “You open the blinds and there’s just piles of smoke going up.”

The unrest is now affecting travelers with ties to Atlanta.

“Got on a flight to go to Puerto Vallarta, and we got not even halfway there, and the guy got on the airplane and said, ‘there’s weird things going on in Puerto Vallarta so we’re going to turn around,’” Landon Chappell said. “That was it. They gave us no more information.”

Chappell said his family’s two-week vacation ended before it began.

“It’s terrible,” he said. “I got Airbnb’s booked, a whole bunch of adventures and I’ll try and get some money back for it, but it’s not the Airbnb people’s fault, so they’re not just giving me refunds.”

Chappell was flying Frontier. Meanwhile, a Delta Air Lines flight that left Atlanta for Mexico on Sunday was diverted to Austin amid what the U.S. State Department described as “ongoing security operations.” Delta Flight 1992 departed Atlanta at 9:43 a.m. and was diverted to Austin, landing at 1:15 p.m., according to FlightAware. The flight later returned to Atlanta.

In a statement, Delta said “the safety of our customers and crew always comes first and we are closely monitoring the situation in the region.”

On their website, the airline wrote “due to civil unrest in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, travel to, from, or through the destinations listed below may be affected. Check flight status frequently for up-to-the-minute information about your flight plans, or get updates sent directly to your mobile device or by email...”

A security alert from the State Department warned U.S. citizens to take cover in several Mexican municipalities.

“Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the named locations should shelter in place until further notice,” the State Department said.

The areas under heightened alert were “Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo Leon State,” the State Department posted on social media.

The Associated Press reported road blockages and vehicles burning in several Mexican states, including Jalisco.

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