Glasgow academic survived shooting on Mexico's Teotihuacán pyramid

Dr Giovanna Guidicini, 46, an architecture historian at the Glasgow School of Art, was visiting the ancient Teotihuacán complex near Mexico City with colleague Dimitrij Zadorin when gunfire broke out earlier this week.

She told BBC News that she heard loud bangs and screaming before spotting the gunman just 20 feet away, blocking the only exit down the pyramid.

Forensic experts carry the body of a victim down a pyramid after authorities said a gunman opened fire (Image: AP Eduardo Verdugo)

Dr Guidicini said: "That is when I realised it was real.

"The gunman was 20ft away from us and shooting towards the queue of people waiting to exit down the stairs.

"We were trapped 70ft from the ground with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

"Quickly, we lay flat on the ground.

"It was a really scary feeling – just total helplessness.

"We could still hear the screams and shootings but we had stopped looking."

A 32-year-old Canadian woman was killed and 13 others were injured during the attack, which took place on Monday.

Originally from Italy, Dr Guidicini has lived in Scotland for 20 years.

She was in Mexico City for a conference and had visited the Teotihuacán site with Mr Zadorin on her final day in the country.

The pair had climbed to the top of one of the pyramids and taken a selfie just minutes before the shooting began.

At first, they thought the noise might have been part of a show or celebration at the tourist site.

However, the sound quickly repeated, followed by screams from nearby, making it clear something was terribly wrong.

With the stairs blocked by the gunman, Dr Guidicini said they lay flat on the stone, hoping to avoid being seen.

While pinned down, they noticed other tourists beginning to climb down the pyramid.

Despite the risk, the pair decided to follow, joining eight to 10 others as they dropped from one stone level to the next—each a 15ft descent.

Dr Guidicini said: "When you can still hear shooting and screaming going on despite being in a safer place, your instinct is to get as far away as possible.

"Some locals noticed us and brought a pick-up truck over to the fence.

"We climbed over and there was someone to catch us at the other side.

"When we reached the street, we went to a nearby restaurant that gave us food and water."

From there, they saw police and army vans surrounding the area.

Dr Guidicini said: "I had a panic attack and burst into tears while coming to terms with what happened."

She managed to board her 11-hour flight home that evening.

On the way to the airport, she contacted friends and family to let them know she was safe as news of the attack broke.

Dr Guidicini has since seen images and video footage from the scene, including people who were unable to escape and were held hostage on the pyramid terrace.

Police patrolling the site of the tragedy (Image: AP Eduardo Verdugo)

She said: "There was a clip I saw of the shooter saying threats in Spanish – talking about sacrificing people and saying they would never see Europe again.

"People were stuck there, powerless and potentially waiting to die."

Visitors from Russia, Columbia and Brazil were treated for injuries.