Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, August 23, 2026 – Three older adults were pulled to safety Saturday night after the current of the Ameca River swept their blue Ford Lobo pickup away from the crossing at La Gaviota diversion dam near El Colomo.
The occupants were two women, ages 69 and 64, and a 64-year-old man. All three are from Santiago de Pinos, a community in San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco. They received prehospital evaluations after reaching land, and no serious injuries were reported.
Video recorded near the crossing showed the pickup moving through fast water before the current pushed it downstream, leaving the three occupants stranded in the river. The Bahía de Banderas Civil Protection and Fire Department mounted an aquatic rescue and used a drone and heavy machinery to reach the vehicle. The machinery was supplied through SISEP, the rescue agency said.
The operation stretched across several hours as crews worked against the current. Once all three occupants were back on firm ground, emergency personnel checked their condition at the scene.
The location helps explain why vehicles continue to encounter danger there. La Gaviota is an irrigation diversion structure, not a conventional highway bridge. It directs Ameca River water into canals serving farmland on both sides of the Nayarit and Jalisco state line.
Local reporting has documented drivers using the crossing to shorten trips between rural communities and avoid the longer route back toward Federal Highway 200 or Jalisco Highway 544, despite high water during the rainy season.
The same regional mobility problem has surfaced at another Ameca crossing this season. Paso del Guayabo is closed through the rainy season between Ixtapa and San José del Valle after rising water damaged the passage. La Gaviota is farther upriver and is a separate location.
The rescue took place during a wet Saturday around the bay. PVDN’s August 22 weather report recorded light rain in Puerto Vallarta early that morning and projected more showers, thunderstorms and localized flooding risk later in the day.
Municipal rescue officials told motorists not to enter low crossings, riverbeds or roads covered by moving water. Even a familiar route can hide washouts, rocks or sudden changes in depth once runoff reaches the river. Drivers who encounter water over the roadway should turn back and use a paved route.
