MONTERREY, Mexico — Two dozen gunmen burst into a casino in northern Mexico on Thursday, doused it with gasoline and started a fire that trapped gamblers inside, killing 53 people and injuring a dozen more, authorities said.
Among the dead were at least 35 women and 10 men, Mexico's Excelsior newspaper reported. The gender of eight of the bodies had not been determined, the paper said.
The fire at the Casino Royale in Monterrey, a relatively wealthy city of 4 million that has seen a surge in drug cartel-related violence, represented one of the deadliest attacks on an entertainment center in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels in late 2006.
Nuevo Leon state Gov. Rodrigo Medina told the Televisa network that 53 people had been confirmed dead in the attack.
"But we could find more," said state Attorney General Leon Adrian de la Garza, adding that a drug cartel was apparently responsible for the attack.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete