Up to 15 dead in bar shooting in central Mexico

Mexico City, Mar 10 : Armed men burst into a bar early Saturday in the central city of Salamanca and opened fire, killing more than a dozen people, Mexican media reported.

The pre-dawn shootings were said to have taken place at La Playa Men’s Club, located in the western part of the city.

Initial reports ranged from 13 to 15 people slain. The national newspaper Reforma cited Sophia Huett Lopez, Guanajuato state government commissioner for security analysis, as confirming 15 dead.

Several more were wounded.

Guanajuato state police and prosecutors did not immediately comment publicly, and phone calls to the state police media relations office rang unanswered.

Also Saturday, shootouts between soldiers and presumed organized crime members left a toll of six dead in and around the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, which borders Texas.

Tamaulipas state’s security department reported that the first confrontation took place before dawn on the city’s outskirts. A civilian was killed and authorities seized high-power weapons, ammunition and vehicles.

Two hours later the second shootout erupted that prompted authorities to close part of the highway between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey. Five gunmen were killed, and agents recovered firearms, cartridges tactical vests and more vehicles.

The area is controlled by the Northeast cartel, which splintered from the Zetas gang and has been warring with its remnants since 2014 in Tamaulipas and other nearby states.