Gunmen kill 7 at public swimming pool in Mexico

Authorities at the crime scene where gunmen killed several people including a child at a water park in Cortazar, Guanajuato state, Mexico, on April 15, 2023. (Sergio Maldonado/Reuters)

At least seven people were killed, including a child, when gunmen opened fire at a public swimming pool in Mexico on Saturday, according to local authorities.

An eyewitness told local authorities the armed men had arrived at the pool and opened fire around 4:30 p.m. local time, then damaged a shop, security cameras and a monitor before leaving.

Social media videos showed people in swimsuits screaming and hugging their children.

The Mexican army and security forces have been deployed to search for the gunmen behind the attack, which took place in the city of Cortazar in the central state of Guanajuato.

When local security forces arrived, they found dead bodies, including one child younger than 7, and shell casings, the municipal government said in a statement.

In addition to the dead, one person was seriously injured and taken to hospital, it added.

No arrests have been made and authorities say they are investigating the motive.

 

It can be a dangerous place

 

Guanajuato is a major agriculture and manufacturing hub and production site for many of the world's top carmakers.

However, it has a reputation for violent incidents and has been convulsed in recent years by brutal turf wars between rival drug gangs.

It is attractive to drug cartels for the same reason it is to auto manufacturers: road and rail networks that lead straight to the US border.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has struggled to deal with gang violence since taking office in late 2018, according to Reuters.

Although the number of homicides has recently fallen slightly, Lopez Obrador's term is set to be the bloodiest in recent history.