MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed and another seven wounded in a shooting at a nightclub early on Saturday in Mexico’s violence-wracked Guanajuato state, according to the local prosecutor’s office.

It was not immediately clear who committed the crime. Before sunrise, a group of armed men pulled up in three vans at the La Playa Men’s Club in the city of Salamanca, burst into the premises and opened fire, local media reported.

Powerful oil theft gangs have stolen vast quantities of fuel from Salamanca’s oil refinery. This week President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador launched a major offensive to capture local gang leader Jose Antonio Yepez, known as “El Marro.”

A video taken after the shooting from the street near the nightclub showed a line of police vehicles. A woman wailed uncontrollably in the background as an ambulance drove into the area.

According to a statement from the Guanajuato state prosecutor’s office, 13 men were found dead in the nightclub, and another two died after being taken to hospital. It added that its agents were investigating the crime.

Salamanca lies in Guanajuato state, part of the country’s industrial heartland that was a magnet for carmakers such as Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp, but it suffered a doubling of murders last year, making it one of Mexico’s most violent regions, official data shows.

More than a decade after the launch of a militarized effort against drug cartels that has led to some of Mexico’s bloodiest years on record, the latest effort will test the new government’s ability to curtail the reach of organized crime.

Lopez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, vowing to fight crime in a new way.</s>At least 15 people have lost their lives after a shooting at a nightclub in Mexico City.</s>According to Al Jazeera, the authorities in the state of Guanajuato have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved

Blood is seen on the pavement of the nightclub where at least 15 men were killed in an attack in Salamanca, Guanajuato state, Mexico. Pic/AFP

Guanajuato (Mexico): At least 15 people were killed at a nightclub on Saturday.

Citing local media, Al Jazeera reported that seven people were also injured in the early hours of Saturday when a group of armed men pulled up in three vans at the La Playa Men's Club in the city of Salamanca and opened fire.

According to Al Jazeera, the authorities in the state of Guanajuato have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved.

It is pertinent to note that Salamanca, which is a site of the main pipeline of the state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) is where fuel thieves have cost the firm around 3bn USD in recent years.</s>Another 4 people are left injured in the attack in Salamanca in central Mexico

GUANAJUATO, Mexico – At least 15 men have died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, prosecutors said Saturday, March 9.

Another 4 people, 3 men and 1 woman, suffered injuries, public prosecutor's office spokesman Juan Jose Martinez told Agence France-Presse by telephone.

The nightclub lies in Guanajuato state, where authorities have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft.

The attack took place in the early hours Saturday as several heavily armed men opened fire at the La Playa nightclub in Salamanca before making off in a vehicle, the spokesman said.

The four injured people were taken to a nearby hospital. So far, none of the victims have been identified.

Salamanca is the site of the main pipeline of state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), where fuel thieves have cost the firm around $3 billion* over the last few years.

In late January, a fake bomb was found in a car parked close to the refinery.

Nearby, signs were found threatening Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and demanding that he withdraw from the area soldiers fighting against fuel theft gangs.

Salamanca is less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Santa Rosa de Lima, where a few days ago authorities conducted an operation against Juan Antonio Yepez, the alleged leader of a fuel-stealing cartel. – Rappler.com</s>At least 15 people have been killed in a nightclub shooting in Mexico. The attack happened at La Playa men’s club in Salamanca in Guanajuato state - one of Mexico’s most violent regions. Witnesses say armed men pulled up in three vans, burst into the club and opened fire.

"Wounded people rushed out,” said one local resident, “running for their vehicles. And then the whole night, they were taking bodies out."

Criminal violence in the region centers around the theft of fuel from a nearby oil refinery. Earlier in the week, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, launched an offensive to capture a local gang leader thought to be involved in fuel trafficking.</s>At least 15 men died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, officials said Saturday.

Another four people, three men and a woman, suffered injuries, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office told Agence-France Presse.

The club lies in Guanajuato state, where authorities have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft.

The attack took place in the early hours Saturday as several heavily armed men opened fire at the La Playa nightclub in Salamanca before making off in a vehicle, the spokesman said.

Salamanca is the site of the main pipeline of the state oil company, where fuel thieves have cost the firm around $3 billion over the last few years.</s>MEXICO CITY, March 9 (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed and another seven wounded in a shooting at a nightclub early on Saturday in Mexico’s violence-wracked Guanajuato state, according to the local prosecutor’s office.

A video taken after the shooting from the street near the nightclub showed a line of police vehicles. A woman wailed uncontrollably in the background as an ambulance drove into the area.

More than a decade after the launch of a militarized effort against drug cartels that has led to some of Mexico’s bloodiest years on record, the latest effort will test the new government’s ability to curtail the reach of organized crime.</s>At least 15 people have been killed in a shooting at a nightclub in Mexico's violence-wracked Guanajuato state, according to prosecutors.

Local media reported that another seven people were injured before sunrise on Saturday when a group of armed men pulled up in three vans at the La Playa Men's Club in the city of Salamanca, burst into the premises, and opened fire.

A video taken after the shooting from the street near the bar showed a line of police vehicles and a woman wailing uncontrollably in the background as an ambulance drove into the area.

Authorities in central Mexico's Guanajuato state have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft.

Salamanca, site of the main pipeline belonging to state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), is where fuel thieves have cost the firm around $3bn in recent years.

More than a decade after the introduction of a militarised effort against drug cartels that has led to some of Mexico's bloodiest years on record, the latest effort will test the new government's ability to curtail the reach of organised crime.

In late January, a fake bomb was found in a car parked close to the refinery.

 

Nearby, signs were found threatening Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and demanding that he withdraw soldiers fighting against fuel theft gangs from the area.

Obrador took office on December 1, 2018, vowing to step up the fight against crime.

 

Salamanca is less than 100km from Santa Rosa de Lima, where a few days ago authorities conducted an operation against Juan Antonio Yepez, the alleged leader of a fuel-stealing cartel.

Guanajuato state suffered a doubling of murders last year, making it one of Mexico's most violent regions, official data shows.</s>MEXICO CITY: At least 15 people were killed and another seven wounded in a shooting at a nightclub early on Saturday in Mexico’s violence-wracked Guanajuato state, according to the local prosecutor’s office.

It was not immediately clear who committed the crime. Before sunrise, a group of armed men pulled up in three vans at the La Playa Men’s Club in the city of Salamanca, burst into the premises and opened fire, local media reported.

Powerful oil theft gangs have stolen vast quantities of fuel from Salamanca’s oil refinery. This week President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador launched a major offensive to capture local gang leader Jose Antonio Yepez, known as “El Marro.”

According to a statement from the Guanajuato state prosecutor’s office, 13 men were found dead in the nightclub, and another two died after being taken to hospital. It added that its agents were investigating the crime.

Salamanca lies in Guanajuato state, part of the country’s industrial heartland that was a magnet for carmakers such as Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp, but it suffered a doubling of murders last year, making it one of Mexico’s most violent regions, official data shows.

Lopez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, vowing to fight crime in a new way.</s>At least 15 men have died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, prosecutors said Saturday.

The nightclub lies in Guanajuato state, where authorities have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft.
A mass shooting at a nightclub in Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico, kills at least 15 people and leaves another seven people wounded.