Several gunmen opened fire at a Mexican resort Saturday, killing six adults and a seven-year-old child, according to authorities.
One additional person was seriously wounded, Cortazar municipality officials said in a statement, according to NewsNation. No possible motive for the attack has been reported.
MEXICO RESORT SHOOTING: A band of gunmen invaded a resort where dozens of vacationers were spending the weekend in central Mexico and opened fire, killing six adults and a 7-year-old, authorities said. https://t.co/MBKotPXmGW
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 16, 2023
The gunmen went on to destroy a spa shop and seize security cameras after the attack before they fled the scene, the outlet reported. Soldiers from the Mexican army and police used a helicopter to search for the attackers after they fled, but were unsuccessful in their hunt.
The state of Guanajuato in central Mexico is the most violent in the country, according to NewsNation, and is a focal point for a war between the New Generation drug cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel.
Violence at resorts in Mexico is not uncommon, according to the outlet. Four tourists were killed in the past two years in shootings at resorts in Playa del Carmen and Tulum. (RELATED: Mexican President Denies Fentanyl Is Produced In Mexico In Factually-Challenged Letter To Xi Jinping)
In addition to escalating cartel-related violence, several Americans have been abducted and killed in Mexico recently. Four Americans were kidnapped in March, with two later found dead, and three other women went missing in the country in February. The State Department currently has a level 3 “reconsider travel” advisory for Guanajuato state, warning Americans to rethink travel due to crime and kidnapping.