Twelve dead in bar attack in central Mexico

< /p> UPDATE DAY

Twelve people were killed and three others wounded by bullets on Saturday in the attack on a bar in the town of Irapuato, in the state of Guanajuato (central Mexico), according to a report by the local authorities.  

The municipality of Irapuato “confirmed the death of six men and six women”, as well as the three people injured, in a press release which does not give any details on the assailants or the motive for the attack. 

Police sources said the killings took place around 7:51 p.m. local time (00:51 GMT Sunday) when an armed gang entered the establishment and opened fire on the occupants of the place, customers and employees. 

The body of one of the victims was found next to a motorcycle, near the bar, while the other bodies were found inside. 

The municipality has confirmed that an operation is underway with the support of the police, the army, the prosecution and the National Guard to find the killers. 

This shooting comes just 11 days after another bloodbath that left 20 dead in San Miguel Totolapan, a town in the southern state of Guerrero, following friction between criminal organizations active in this region of Mexico. < /p>

Guanajuato, a thriving industrial state, has become Mexico's most violent due to rivalries between the Santa Rosa de Lima and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels over their shared activities, including drug trafficking and fuel theft.  

According to authorities, between January and August, 2,115 homicides were committed in this region. 

Mexico recorded more than 340,000 killings, most attributed to criminal organizations, since the December 2006 launch of an offence. military sive against drug cartels, which is not unanimous in the country.