Ten dead in attack on bars, hotel in central Mexico: officials

Gunmen killed 10 people in an attack on a hotel and two bars in the city of Celaya in central Mexico, security officials said Tuesday.

The attack late Monday claimed the lives of seven women and three men and left two people injured, according to the security secretariat in Celaya, in the central Guanajuato state.

Officials found the dead bodies upon arrival in the neighborhood of Valle Hermoso after reports of gunfire, the unit said in a statement.


Witnesses said the victims were shot, after which the attackers poured gasoline to set the establishments on fire.

They said the bodies were scattered among plastic tables and chairs, and one was lying on the sidewalk.

A known criminal group of the region left behind calling cards claiming the massacre.

Guanajuato, a thriving industrial region that hosts a refinery and a major pipeline, has become one of Mexico's most violent states due to a dispute between the Santa Rosa de Lima and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

The gangs fight for control of trafficking routes for drugs and stolen fuel.

Since December 2006, when the government launched a controversial military anti-drug operation, Mexico has recorded more than 340,000 murders, according to official figures.