An El Paso, Texas, couple vacationing in Mexico was electrocuted Tuesday while relaxing in a jacuzzi at a private resort in Puerto Peñasco.
The incident, which occurred right after 8 p.m., resulted in the death of 43-year-old Jorge Guillen. His wife, 35-year-old Lizette Zambrano, suffered life-threatening injuries, U.K.’s The Daily Mail reported.
Footage of the incident showed fellow vacationers gathering around the hot tub where the electrocution occurred.
WARNING: The following video contains images and sounds that may be difficult for some readers.
Some of the onlookers could be heard screaming while others appeared to be trying to resuscitate an individual lying on the ground.
According to the Daily Mail, a lifeless body could be seen floating in the hot tub.
Officers with the Sonora state Ministerial Criminal Investigation Agency arrived at the scene at around 8:30 p.m. to investigate the incident, according to a translated Facebook post from the state attorney general’s office.
Do you spend time in hot tubs?
Yes: 16% (44 Votes)
No: 84% (223 Votes)
The attorney general’s office has since launched an investigation into the incident.
While the exact cause is yet to be determined, investigators believe that a power surge might have been behind the electrocution, the Daily Mail reported.
Zambrano’s injuries, according to Mexican authorities, were consistent with those incurred by electric shocks, according to KTSM-TV.
She has been moved to the United States, where her condition remains critical.
An eyewitness had first noticed Zambrano and Guillen lying unconscious in the jacuzzi, the Daily Mail reported.
However, when the witness tried to get into the hot tub after finding the couple unresponsive, she reportedly suffered an electric shock.
The couple were dual nationals of Mexico and the United States.
“As I woke up this morning we received a message from our best friend’s mom. A message you don’t want to wake up to,” a friend of the couple, Sylvia Sundermann, wrote in a Wednesday evening post on Facebook.
“[T]his is a very difficult situation. No one knows when something like this can happen,” Sundermann’s post said.
Sundermann and another friend of the couple, Amber Romero, launched a fundraiser to help cover costs incurred in repatriating Guillen’s body and covering Zambrano’s medical expenses.
The GoFundMe fundraiser, at the time of writing, has raised $39,013 of its $50,000 goal.
“Our best friends have experienced a horrible accident. Jorge had a heart of gold and was always there for family and friends. The love they shared was one for ages,” Romero and Sundermann wrote on the fundraiser’s page.
“As Lizzette is in the hospital her mother Maria has remained strong and has been helping during this difficult time. Maria will continue to support Lizzette to make sure she receives all donations. We are beyond thankful for the love and support that our friends have received,” the duo said.
