Mass shooting at holiday celebration kills 11 in Mexico

MEXICO CITY: Eleven people were killed and several others injured after a mass shooting during a holiday celebration in central Mexico on Tuesday night. 

The attack happened in the city of Irapuato, in the state of Guanajuato. 

Local media reported that the shooting took place during an evening party held to celebrate the Catholic feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist.

A 17-year-old was among the victims. Police authorities said that the investigation had been launched.

The attorney general’s office in Guanajuato – a state long plagued by gang violence – stated that 20 more individuals were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum earlier said that the victims included children, though the attorney general’s office later confirmed that only one of the dead was a minor, aged 17.

“It is very unfortunate what happened. An investigation is underway,” Sheinbaum said.

A video shared on social media appeared to show people dancing in the courtyard of a housing complex while a band played, before gunfire broke out. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.

Guanajuato has for years been one of Mexico’s most violent regions, with rival criminal groups battling for control of drug routes and other illegal operations. On the same day, five other people were reported killed in separate incidents across the state, according to the attorney general’s office.