MEXICO CITY: Gunmen in southern Mexico killed at least 18 people in an attack Wednesday, including the town's mayor, authorities said.
Prosecutor Sandra Luz Valdovinos told Milenio Television that the attack happened in San Miguel Totolapan in Guerrero state. Two others were wounded, she said.
"So far we have 18 confirmed dead," Valdovinos told the TV station.
Mayor Conrado Mendoza was among those killed.
The motive of the attack was not immediately known.
Press reports said the broad daylight attack was staged by the Los Tequileros gang, which is affiliated with a powerful drug cartel called Jalisco Nueva Generacion.
Local TV footage showed the facade of the town hall riddled with bullets as people are heard screaming.
San Miguel Totolapan is a town of about 4,300 people in an area of Guerrero with a history of violent disputes between cartels.
Mexico has endured more than 340,000 killings blamed mainly on drug trafficking gangs since the government deployed troops to fight the cartels in 2006.
Los Tequileros had plagued San Miguel Totolapan and previously staged kidnappings there, but the group's influence dwindled after the death of one of its leaders in 2018 in a gunfight with local police.
Azerbaijan Airlines, the country's flag carrier, says the plane had 62 passengers and five crew on board
Yoon's repeated defiance sparks criticism, calls from opposition for his arrest
Unrest spread to several cities in the northern part of Mozambique, reports local media
Pope opens 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which Vatican expects will bring some 32m tourists to Rome next year
"Today, we took the first step towards lifting internet restrictions with unanimity and consensus," says minister
Stundents' leader accuses TV station of "spreading propaganda", accommodating views of fallen political party
