Officials said most victims of the bar shooting belonged to a taxi drivers union.
At least seven people were killed and four wounded on the outskirts of the Mexican resort area of Cancun Thursday when two men armed with automatic rifles and a handgun opened fire in a bar in a working class neighborhood, according to media reports.
The shootings took place at The Mermaid Bar, far from Cancun’s popular hotel zone, the spring break destination for thousands of American college students.
Public Safety Secretary Jesus Aiza said most of the victims belonged to a taxi drivers union, according to the Associated Press. Soldiers were assigned to guard those being treated at a hospital.
Aiza said the gunmen arrived in two cars Thursday afternoon, went inside the bar and began shooting.
Reuters noted that Cancun, located on the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, has largely escaped the kind of drug violence that has plagued other parts of the country.
The Telegraphnoted that armed army personnel regularly patrol the most popular tourist beach and hotel spots.
Last month in Acapulco, a fading vacation spot on the Pacific coast, six Spanish tourists were raped by hooded men at a beach house.