COATZACOALCOS: Atleast 25 people were killed and 11 badly wounded when gunmen burst into a stripclub in eastern Mexico, doused it with gasoline and ignited a raging fire,officials said yesterday. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemnedTuesday night's "shameful" attack in the city of Coatzacoalcos, andsaid federal authorities would investigate evidence that it may have stemmedfrom collusion between the state prosecutor's office and organized crime. Theattack is the latest to rock the state of Veracruz, a flashpoint in bloody turfwars between Mexico's rival drug cartels and a hotbed of political corruption.
Survivors saidgunmen descended on the bar, the Caballo Blanco (White Horse), in a hail ofbullets, blocked the entrances and set the club alight. But because of the loudreggaeton music pounding inside, many patrons and dancers did not even noticethe attack until the entire bar was in flames, they said. "They arrived inseveral vehicles, with rifles and pistols. They threatened the security guardsat the door and took control of the main entrance," one survivor told anAFP reporter, speaking on condition of anonymity, as frantic family membersrushed to the bar looking for their loved ones.
Veracruz GovernorCuitlahuac Garcia tweeted that authorities had identified one of the attackersas Ricardo "N"-Mexican law bars the release of suspects' fullnames-adding that he was a repeat offender known as "La Loca"("The Crazy One"). The suspect was previously arrested last month,but was released by prosecutors within 48 hours, Garcia said, vowing that"this vile crime... will not go unpunished." President Lopez Obradorsaid federal authorities would investigate why the suspect had been released,and whether there was a conspiracy between the state prosecutor's office andorganized crime.
"There's aproblem there that needs to be investigated regarding the actions of theVeracruz prosecutor's office," he told a press conference. "There aretwo things going on here: one is this shameful act by organized crime, the mostinhuman thing possible; the other, which is also reprehensible, is a possibleconspiracy with the authorities." "We have to categorically separate organizedcrime from the government," added Lopez Obrador, a leftist elected lastyear on a stern anti-corruption platform.
Attackers blockedexits
Veracruz is oneof the most violent states in the country. Its strategic location on the coastof the Gulf of Mexico makes it a popular route for drug cartels and for humantraffickers bringing undocumented migrants to the United States.
Bloody battlesbetween warring cartels and gangs frequently erupt in the state. Coatzacoalcoshas been among the cities hardest hit by the violence. The White Horse was oneof the last nightclubs in the once-booming port city of 235,000 people, whichhas fallen on hard times along with Mexico's oil industry, of which it was ahub. Survivors said the bar was bustling when the gunmen burst in. Theattackers blocked the emergency exits, and many of the victims died of smokeinhalation, authorities said.
The interior ofthe bar was wrecked and charred, with chairs overturned and debris litteringthe floor. The naked body of a woman who had been mid-routine was sprawled onthe dance floor next to the striptease poles. Outside, anguished relativescried and embraced as they waited for news, while soldiers, police andparamedics worked the scene. "I just want to know if he's OK," said amother looking for her son, who was a cleaner at the bar, after searching forhim in vain at local hospitals. "Have you seen my daughter? She was adancer," said another.
Hit squads,corruption
Mexico has beenhit by a wave of violence since declaring war on drugs and deploying the armyto fight its powerful cartels in 2006. Since then, more than 250,000 peoplehave been murdered, including a record 33,753 last year. The situation inVeracruz has been particularly grim. Jailed ex-governor Javier Duarte (2010-2016)is accused of presiding over a rash of corruption and human-rights abuses. Twoformer state police chiefs and a string of ex-officials have been charged withrunning hit squads that abducted and presumably killed unwanted individualsduring Duarte's administration.- AFP