3 Albertans among dead in Mexico blast

Three Albertans were among the five Canadians, and seven people in total, killed in an explosion at a Mexican tourist resort south of Cancun.

The explosion ripped through the lobby of the 676-room Grand Riviera Princess Hotel in Playa del Carmen on Sunday morning. Mexican officials said the blast may have been caused by a buildup of gas from a nearby swamp.

Darlene Ferguson, 51, from Ardrossan, Alta., died after celebrating her son's wedding in the resort town. Her brother, Barry Hoffman, was at home in Sherwood Park when his brother called from Mexico.

"We're all in shock," he said. "It's devastating to the whole family."

Hoffman told CBC News that Ferguson was going to the beach with her two-year-old grandson just before breakfast. She was less than 10 metres from the lobby when the explosion sent debris flying, Hoffman said.

"She was awake and she thought maybe she had a few ribs crushed," he said. "But she obviously had some major injuries there. They took her to the local hospital and they couldn't do anything for her there."

He said his sister couldn't wait to celebrate her son's wedding in the Mayan Riviera. "She was a terrific wife and mother, grandmother. She looked forward to the wedding and the holiday."

Ferguson's grandson was also hurt and is being treated in hospital in Cancun, Hoffman said. He's expected to survive.

Other family members are trying to get back to Canada as soon as possible.

Christopher Charmont, 41, and his nine-year-old son, John, were from Drumheller, Alta. 

Charmont's sister Debbie Moore found out about the tragedy Sunday after returning home from work. "I got home and (the family) were all sitting around the TV, and I said, 'You guys are just being silly.'"

Moore texted Charmont's wife and heard the devastating news.

'He was just here'

Charmont's wife told Moore that she and the couple's 10-year-old daughter were not in the lobby, but came running when she heard the explosion.

"She knew they [Christopher and John] were there. She saw the devastation. She checked the people that were injured. She couldn't find Chris. She couldn't find John.

"One of the hotel employees said, 'He was just here.' And that's when it all started to unfold."

Charmont's wife is in shock, while her daughter is being sedated, said Moore.

Charmont was deeply involved with John's hockey team in Drumheller and the holiday was break in a busy hockey schedule, she said.

Moore said she thought it was horribly "ironic" when she heard the blast may have been caused by a gas buildup, Her brother worked in the gas industry as an instrument mechanic.

"He made sure that this didn't happen to anybody. It's so ironic, so wrong."