In a horrifying incident early Sunday, gunmen targeted a Christmas season party in the town of Salvatierra in Mexico's north-central state of Guanajuato, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals, as reported by state prosecutors. Additionally, four others lost their lives in a separate shooting in the city of Salamanca, although details regarding the circumstances of that attack remain undisclosed.
Local media sources revealed that the victims in Salvatierra were departing from an event hall after participating in a Christmas celebration known as a "posada" when they were mercilessly attacked.
Guanajuato has become a hotspot for violent confrontations between the Jalisco cartel and local gangs with ties to the Sinaloa cartel. The state has consistently recorded the highest number of homicides in Mexico, primarily due to ongoing turf wars.
Simultaneously, in the Caribbean coast resort of Tulum, authorities reported an unfortunate incident where three men were shot dead, and four others sustained injuries during an attack at a local bar on Sunday.
According to preliminary investigations by Quintana Roo state prosecutors, the shooting appears to be linked to a dispute involving retail drug sales. However, they assured the public that the safety of both residents and visitors was not compromised.
It is worth noting that Tulum has witnessed previous shootouts between local drug gangs, leading to the unfortunate deaths of tourists caught in the crossfire. In 2021, a California travel blogger of Indian origin and a German national were killed while dining at a restaurant, becoming unintended victims of a gunfight between rival drug dealers.
In a related incident on December 9, a violent clash erupted between gunmen associated with a criminal gang and residents, killing 11 people of a small farming community in central Mexico. The confrontation took place in the hamlet of Texcaltitlan, approximately 130 kilometers southwest of the capital Mexico City. Social media circulated dramatic visuals depicting villagers, armed with sickles and hunting rifles, chasing down suspected gang members amidst gunfire. Reports suggested that the villagers took action against the cartel due to exhaustion from ongoing extortion attempts.
Highlighting the concerning situation, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert earlier this year, urging travelers to "exercise increased situational awareness," especially after dark, at Mexico's popular Caribbean beach resorts such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum.
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