News / Mexico

Five killed, 15 injured in Mexico night club shooting

Tuesday, 17 January 2017 8:09 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 17 January 2017 8:09 AM ]

Police stand guard near the Blue Parrot Club, where several people were killed after an early morning shootout, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, January 16, 2017. (Photo by AP)

A shooting at a nightclub in Mexico’s east has killed at least four people and led to the death of another person during a crush caused by the rush of panicked people.

The incident happened at the Blue Parrot Club (BMP) in the town of Playa del Carmen, a popular tourist spot on the Caribbean coastline, early Monday.

Quintana Roo State Attorney General Miguel Angel Pech said a Canadian, an Italian — possible tourists — and a Mexican were among the dead.

But there are conflicting reports about the death toll and the nationality of the victims. The club said in a statement that “a lone shooter” had shot four people dead outside the night club but that three of them had been security members.

Another 15 people have been reported injured in the incident. Seven of them still remain hospitalized, with one of them being in critical condition.

The shooting took place near one of the club’s exits, prompting people to escape over a fence behind the night club as they heard screaming and gunshots. One woman died in the rush. Some people hid under tables or behind walls for protection.

The gunman fled after the attack.

Pech, the attorney general, said that shooting first started outside of the club as the gunman exchanged fire with another individual before entering the venue.

The state governor, Carlos Joaquin, separately said the shootout may have been due to a personal conflict between the two who exchanged gunfire.

Some reports pointed to the fact that drug gang violence, a major plague in Mexico, also exists in the resort city where the massacre took place. Gang-related shootings are fairly common in Mexican clubs.

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