Gun violence: Mayor and 17 others killed in Mexico

Gunmen killed the mayor and 17 other people in a small town in southern Mexico.

Gun violence: Mayor and 17 others killed in Mexico

Gunmen killed the mayor and 17 other people in a small town in southern Mexico. The attack happened on Wednesday (local time) in San Miguel Totolapan, as the Attorney General of the State of Guerrero, Sandra Valdovino, confirmed in the evening on the Milenio television station. The local crime syndicate Los Tequileros was probably behind the attack, as several newspapers reported. The background to the crime initially remained unclear.

In a video circulated on social media, alleged members of the group claimed to have returned to the city of 24,000 to conduct their criminal business. After the crime, the attackers blocked the access routes to the town hall with buses and trucks for hours to prevent the security forces from getting through. The facade of the town hall had several bullet holes.

Among the victims were the mayor's father, two bodyguards and the director of the city police. "The vicious attacks on the mayor and city council officials will not go unpunished," Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado wrote on Twitter.

Mexico is experiencing a spiral of violence. Drug cartels and other criminal groups are numerous, often linked to corrupt politicians and security forces, and vying for control of territories. Last year, an average of 94 murders per day were registered in the North American country with around 126 million inhabitants.

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