Over a dozen gunmen went on a shooting spree in the Mexican city of Celaya on Tuesday, killing 11 people, including eight women at a hotel and its two bars. More than 50 shots were fired in the ambush which lasted lesser than a minute.
The shooting is being linked to cartel warfare, reported the New York Post.
Some of the 15 gunmen, who were hooded threw Molotov cocktails in the bars, badly burning one of the establishments. Graphic photos of the crime scene have emerged on social media which revealed women heaped in pools of blood between tables while another body was seen on the sidewalk.
Seven women and three men were pronounced dead on the spot itself after they were shot dead. The eleventh victim, a woman, passed away, later in the hospital, security and government officials reported. Five other people were injured in the shooting, reported New York Post.
Photos posted on social media suggested the killers belonged to the Santa Rosa de Lima gang seemingly accusing the bars' owners of supporting the rival Jalisco cartel, according to The Associated Press.
The bloodbath came just hours after three dismembered bodies were found nearby in plastic bags -- also containing warning messages left on cardboard.
Pieces of cardboard with messages "alluding to a criminal group" were also found at the crime scene, reported New York Post. According to security officials, Mexico's National Guard, and the Defense Ministry, alongside Guanajuato state security forces were in search of the gunmen.
Reportedly, the city of Guanajuato has turned out to be one of the most violent areas of Mexico in recent years as drug trafficking gangs continue to fight for control.
Government data reveals 933 homicides recorded in the first four months of 2022 in Guanajuato. In the month of March, seven charred bodies were recovered. The dead bodies were found abandoned in a pick-up truck in Celaya.
( With inputs from ANI )
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