MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican law enforcement personnel have found undetonated explosive devices on a ferry that runs between the Caribbean resorts of Playa del Carmen and the island of Cozumel, the U.S. Embassy said.

Thursday’s announcement lends credence to reports that a Feb. 21 blast aboard a ferry on the same route was caused by an explosive device. That blast injured 19 Mexicans and at least five U.S. citizens. Authorities had initially suggested it could have been a mechanical malfunction.

The embassy said in a statement that it had prohibited its employees from using any tourist ferries on that route, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico.

“U.S. Government employees are prohibited from using all tourist ferries on this route until further notice. Mexican and U.S. law enforcement continue to investigate,” the embassy wrote.

Except for isolated shootings last year, the Caribbean coast had largely been spared the violence plaguing other parts of Mexico. The coast provides much of Mexico’s tourism revenue.

The company whose boat was hit by the Feb. 21 blast had been suspended by the government from operating on Feb.25, even though the firm said it had the necessary operating permits.

Local media have reported the company is owned by the father of former Quintana Roo state governor Roberto Borge, who is under arrest on corruption charges.

An employee at the firm said Friday the company’s boats were not currently operating, but did not immediately respond to the reports about the firm’s links to the Borge family.

Photos of the supposed device published in local media showed what appeared to be a length of PVC pipe attached to the underside of a boat.

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