EDMONTON – The family of a 51-year-old Alberta woman killed in an explosion at a Mexican resort is thanking those who helped them during the tragedy.
The family of Darlene Ferguson issued a statement Wednesday thanking the Canadian consulate for helping them.
They also thanked WestJet Airlines, saying they brought them “all home together.”
Ferguson was at the Grand Princess Riviera Hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for her son’s wedding on Sunday.
According to reports, she was walking with her two-year-old grandson in the lobby when the explosion happened.
Her grandson is expected to make a full recovery.
“To the Canadian consulate in Mexico, and in Canada who organized to provide us with all the help we could possibly ask for, we extend our appreciation,” says the statement.
“And to WestJet Airlines and their volunteers who came and found us, and brought us all home together, we extend our deepest gratitude…I don’t know what we would have done without you all.”
Seven people, including five Canadians, died in the blast.
Chris Charmont of Drumheller, Alta., and his nine-year-old son John were also killed in the blast.
Elgin Barron of Guelph, Ont., and Malcolm Johnson, 33, of Nanaimo, B.C., were also killed.
Barron was a long-time employee at space equipment maker Com Dev International in Cambridge, Ont.
Johnson was on vacation with his wife and one-year-old daughter. The man was going to get coffee when the blast hit.
Two Mexican workers also died in the blast.
Mexican investigators now appear to be downplaying their original theory that swamp gas caused the deadly blast. Officials now say a broken sewer line may have resulted in a buildup of methane gas.
(CTV Edmonton)
