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

Gunmen killed ten people in an attack on a hotel and two bars in Celaya, central Mexico, according to security officials.

According to the security secretariat in Celaya, Guanajuato’s central region, the attack killed seven women and three men and injured two others.

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 gang fights for control of drug and stolen fuel trafficking routes.

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