San Pancho, Nayarit, October 21, 2026 — Part of the Punta Paraíso beachfront development collapsed Wednesday morning, nearly three weeks after authorities evacuated and closed the property.
The reported partial collapse marks a new development at the damaged condominium complex in San Francisco, commonly known as San Pancho, in Bahía de Banderas. For people walking along the beach, the immediate question is how far the danger extends beyond the evacuated buildings.
Wednesday’s initial reports did not include an updated Protección Civil assessment, precise exclusion-perimeter boundaries, or confirmation of injuries.
The earlier safety measures reached beyond the condominium entrance. In an October 3 interview, municipal Civil Protection and Fire Department director José Santos Salas Hernández said state police were watching the property and the beach access beside it because more cavities could form beneath the ground.
That warning followed the October 2 closure, when authorities determined the property was uninhabitable. As Vallarta Daily reported at the time, 13 tourists were evacuated after waves undermined two beachfront towers.
Salas Hernández said municipal risk-management personnel and Nayarit authorities inspected the development on foot and with a drone. Heavy surf associated with Hurricane Rachel had opened a cavity approximately four meters deep around the foundations, exposing support piles and allowing seawater into lower areas of the complex.
“We could hear the water, and the buildings were already moving,” he said during the earlier inspection, translated from Spanish.
His description helps explain why the concern extended to nearby access: waves were continuing to reach beneath the development, where material supporting the structures had washed away.
Images circulating Wednesday showed further deterioration. Initial reports described damage and leaning in the two-tower section beside the beach. Its account focused on the compromised structures, while Meganoticias and Global Media reported a partial collapse.
The property also faces an environmental enforcement order that predates Wednesday’s reported failure. On October 7, a federal appeals court denied a legal challenge by developer Pacific Lifestyle Properties, leaving Profepa’s sanctions in place.
Vallarta Daily previously covered the ruling requiring two Punta Paraíso towers to come down. The sanctions concern unauthorized construction on land gained from the sea and include a 96,220-peso fine.
The required remedy goes beyond repairing the damaged building: it calls for removing the irregular works and restoring approximately 1,466 square meters of coastal land to its original condition.
