Alberta engineer Anna Hudson drowns in Mexico on wedding vacation
Stephanie Wiebe | CBC News | Posted: November 20, 2015 7:04 PM | Last Updated: November 20, 2015
Maid of honour in best friend's Cancun wedding found drowned after being pulled out to sea by strong tide
She went to Mexico for her best friend's wedding, but Anna Hudson never made it back to shore after the group went swimming on the first night of their vacation.
"We have family all around us so that's helpful, but we're devastated," Bonita Hudson, the 26-year-old's mother, told CBC News from the family home in Rosebud, a hamlet southwest of Drumheller in southern Alberta.
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Hudson had been living in Fort McMurray, where she worked as an engineer for KMC Mining.
"She was a very bright light and she had done lots of good for lots of people and it's hard to believe she won't be around anymore," her mother said.
Family were told the tide had been very strong on Wednesday night when Hudson, the bride and her fiancé went down to the beach near Cancun.
The pair tried to save Hudson when they saw she was being swept away, but couldn't reach her. The groom even had to be resuscitated after the rescue effort.
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The next day emergency officials found her body about one kilometre from where she went missing, brought in by the tide.
2 weeks shy of 27th birthday
Family say the area where the group went into the water is known for being a difficult place to swim.
"With the beach being very steep when a wave comes in there's a horrendous rush... — that tide wants to drag you out," said Don Cyr, father of Hudson's friend who was getting married on the trip.
Cyr also said the resorts should do a better job communicating the tide and surf conditions.
She was a very bright light ... it's hard to believe she won't be around anymore. - Bonita Hudson, mother
She died just two weeks shy of her 27th birthday.
Kevin Thomas is one of the executive board members at the local chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which represents Hudson's coworkers in Fort McMurray, Alta.
"I would like to pass on our sincere condolences to the Hudson family as well as Anna's coworkers at KMC Mining during this most difficult time," he said in a statement.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has been working with family to make arrangements to bring Hudson's body home early next week.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Canadian citizen who passed away in Cancun, Mexico. Canadian consular officials in Cancun and in Ottawa are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and are providing consular assistance to the family and friends," a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
"She loved family most of all," said Hudson's mother, who described her daughter as easy to get along with and good at working with other people.
"She was very outgoing. She just loved people."