11 people killed as armed assailants opened fire in Mexico's bar
Eleven people were killed early Sunday morning after armed assailants opened fire in a bar in Mexico's central state of Guanajuato, according to the local prosecutor's office. The attack on the bar in the town of Jaral del Progreso left seven men and four women dead, and another woman seriously injured, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
According to local press reports, eyewitnesses reported that the attackers arrived in several vehicles and began shooting at customers and employees.
Guanajuato, traditionally an agricultural and industrial town, has been ravaged by drug violence.
Over 1,900 homicides were registered between January and May of this year, more than in other Mexican towns affected by organised crime, according to government figures.
Guanajuato authorities have previously blamed the violence on two criminal rings competing to dominate drug sales and fuel theft.
Clashes have intensified since authorities last month arrested Jose Antonio Yepez, alias "El Marro," the alleged leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima drug cartel.
(With agency inputs)
