Bar shooting in southeastern Mexico claims seven lives, five injured

A shooting at a bar in southeastern Mexico has claimed the lives of seven people and left five others wounded, local authorities confirmed on January 5, marking the latest in a string of deadly attacks in the violence-stricken nation.

The incident occurred on January 4 night in Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco state, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

A manhunt is underway for the perpetrators, with state and federal authorities coordinating efforts.

“Surveillance footage is being analysed, and patrols have been deployed to locate and apprehend those responsible,” the state’s secretariat of security and civilian protection said in a statement.

The death toll initially stood at five but was later revised to seven by the Tabasco public prosecutor’s office, which described the location of the attack as “a clandestine bar operating irregularly.”

Local media reported that gunmen stormed into the bar, and opened fire on patrons, leaving a scene of carnage with bloodied bodies scattered across the floor.

Tabasco, a state known for its oil production, has seen a rise in violent crime in recent months. In November, six people were killed and ten injured in a similar attack on another bar in Villahermosa.

The shooting follows a wave of bar attacks across the country. Thus, in late November, an attack in Querétaro, a central region previously less affected by organized crime, left ten people dead. That same weekend, six people were killed in a bar shooting on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Since 2006, when the government deployed the military to combat drug trafficking, more than 450,000 people have been killed in violence linked to organized crime, according to official figures.

President Claudia Sheinbaum, who assumed office as Mexico’s first female leader on October 1, faces mounting pressure to address the country’s spiralling violence. However, she has ruled out a militarized “war” against drug cartels, instead pledging to expand social programmes and improve intelligence-led policing.

“We are committed to addressing the root causes of violence,” Sheinbaum said in a recent statement. “This strategy will take time, but it is the path to lasting peace.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev