Texas man dies, woman injured by electrocution in hot tub at Mexico resort

A man from Texas died and a woman was injured when they were electrocuted in a hot tub at a resort in northwest Mexico, officials and local media said Wednesday.

The 43-year-old man was in a Jacuzzi with a 35-year-old woman when both were shocked by an "electric discharge," the attorney general's office for the state of Sonora said in a statement. The incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at a complex of private condominiums in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, officials said.

The couple — identified by CBS affiliate KDBC as Jorge Guillen and Lizette Zambrano of El Paso — were both in a Jacuzzi at the Sonoran Sea Resort when they were electrocuted, the station reported. KDBC and local media posted video of the aftermath of the incident, which appears to show people, some screaming, huddled around a hot tub while someone tries to perform chest compressions on a person lying on the ground.

Family members of the couple said Zambrano remained in critical condition, according to KDBC.

A GoFundMe launched for the couple had raised over $21,000 as of Thursday morning.

"Jorge had a heart of gold and was always there for family and friends," the GoFundMe says. "The love they shared was one for ages."

A witness told investigators at the scene that she tried to enter the Jacuzzi after she noticed the couple was non-responsive, KTSM of El Paso reported, but as she tried to enter the tub she was shocked, so she called for help.

Investigators will try to "determine the origin of the electrical failure," the attorney general's office said, adding that it would release more information later.

According to its website, the Sonoran Sea Resort has three beachfront swimming pools as well as family and adult Jacuzzis. It's about a four-hour drive from Phoenix, Arizona.

Jim Ringquist, sales director for Sonoran Resorts Inc., said in a statement Thursday, "We are all terribly devastated by the tragedy that occured at the Sonoran Sea Resort recently."

He also said the company's CEO, Fernando Anaya, died unexpectedly Wednesday of a heart attack, "adding another unfortunate tragedy to the already sad situation."

"Please accept heartfelt condolences from the Sonoran Resorts Company to the family and friends of both unfortunate deaths," Ringquist said.

He added that he works for the Sonoran Resorts developers, who don't manage or run condos after building them. His company completed the Sonoran Sea Resort and turned it over to the owners and homeowners association in 2004, Ringquist said.

Last June, a man died after an apparent electrocution while repairing a hot tub inside a fitness center in Phoenix.

In:
• Mexico
• Death

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.