Gunmen kill 10 people in bar attack in central Mexico

Gunmen in a truck pulled up to a bar in central Mexico and opened fire, killing 10 people, authorities said.

An attack on Los Cantaritos bar in downtown Queretaro left 10 people dead inside and at least seven injured, according to Juan Luis Ferrusca, chief of the city’s public safety department.

“Emergency services arrived at the scene and confirmed that at least four men armed with long guns had boarded a pickup truck,” Ferrusca said in a video on social media. he said.

A suspect was detained and said the vehicle used in the attack was abandoned and set on fire.

Stating that forensic experts examined the scene of the attack and the vehicle, the Queretaro state prosecutor’s office said that there were three women among the victims.

Queretaro, the capital of Queretaro state, is considered one of the safest cities in Mexico, which has been plagued by violence linked to drug cartels for years.

Located approximately 200 kilometers northwest of Mexico City, this area is known for its Spanish colonial architecture.

More than 450,000 people have been killed in Mexico since 2006 in a spiral of violence, most linked to drug trafficking and gangs.

Tackling the daily killings and kidnappings in Mexico is among the biggest challenges facing President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The former Mexico City mayor, who became the country’s first female president on October 1, ruled out declaring “war” on drug cartels.

Instead he vowed to continue his predecessor’s strategy of using social policy to tackle the roots of crime while also making better use of intelligence.

The northwestern cartel stronghold of Sinaloa has seen a rise in violence since the arrest of drug lord Ismael Zambada in the United States in July sparked a wave of gang fighting.

There was also a sudden increase in bloodshed in the southern state of Guerrero, which has been the scene of long-running gang wars.

The bodies of 11 people, including two children, were found abandoned in a pickup truck in the state capital Chilpancingo, authorities said on Thursday.

They were part of a group of 17 people (reported to be itinerant traders) who were reported missing last month.

By Daniel Rook