At least 7 killed in central Mexico bar attack: police

PACHUCA,

Gunmen opened fire in a bar in central Mexico, killing seven people and severely wounding five others on Saturday, police said.

Four people were found dead at the scene, while three more died while receiving medical care after the shooting in Tula, around 60 miles (97 kilometres) north of the capital Mexico City, according to a police report.

Armed men had stormed the La Resaka bar, located in a working-class neighbourhood of the city, early on Saturday, witnesses told police.

Federal and state security forces launched an operation but have yet to apprehend any suspects.

Hidalgo State, where Tula is located, is known to host gangs involved in the trafficking of stolen fuel, but such mass killings are rare.

The Hidalgo State Security Bureau said it had detected disputes between rival gangs in Tula prior to the attack.

Local media reported that internal disputes erupted following the arrest of an alleged local gang leader.

Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since the beginning of a cartel crackdown in 2006, with more than 120,000 people missing.