Mexican hotel in fatal blast fined

The Mexican hotel involved in the Nov. 14 deadly explosion that killed seven people, including five Canadians, has been fined by local building authorities for construction violations.

The Grand Riviera Princess Hotel in Playa del Carmen  is being fined almost six million pesos — $481,000 US — by municipal officials because the original building plans filed to obtain construction permits did not match the completed structure.

Inspectors also noted odours in the hotel that may conflict with local environmental regulations.

The explosion, which officials have said may have been caused by a buildup of gas from a nearby swamp, tore through a lounge of the 676-room hotel in the tourist region known as the Mayan Riviera last month.

Canadians from British Columbia and Alberta were killed in the explosion along with two hotel employees; 18 people, many of them from Ontario, were injured.