Winnipegger, family return home after unnerving ordeal in western Mexico

A Winnipegger and her family are safely back home following a violent uprising in western Mexico that was triggered by the arrest of a high-ranking drug cartel leader.

Sheila North, a former CBC Manitoba host and reporter, was vacationing at a resort in Mazatlán with two adult children and her two-year-old grandson when she spotted plumes of smoke in two different areas in Mexico's Sinaloa State on Thursday afternoon.

North's family was on a catamaran excursion when violence broke out.

Now they are back in Manitoba, having departed a flight bound for Winnipeg shortly after 6 p.m. CT Saturday.

"I'm ready to come back, even though I know it's going to be cold. I'm relieved, but at the same time I'm glad I came in spite of everything that we experienced, and thankfully we didn't experience the worst of it," North said Saturday from the Mazatlán International Airport.

North and her family were originally slated to return home Friday, but their flight was delayed until Saturday, and further delayed again until Sunday.

She then found out Saturday morning that they were bumped up to a flight later that day.

The bus ride to the airport wasn't too bad, she said, but believes they took a different route than the one they travelled to the resort after they arrived.

"The staff told us to wait until they were ready for us to get off the bus to get into the airport. So I think they were being extra cautious, but we didn't see any problems or issues," North said.

The airport was fairly busy, but pretty orderly, she said.

She's happy to finally be back home after the unnerving situation, and there's one thing in particular she's excited about.

"Just the sense of safety and normalcy for family, especially having a little one, a two-year-old," North said. "I definitely don't want anything to happen to him, so I'm glad to be heading back for the safety of our family."