At least 24 dead and seven others injured after gunmen storm a drug rehabilitation center in Mexico
AT least 24 people were killed and seven others injured in an armed attack on a drug rehabilitation facility in Mexico.
The attack took place in the town of Irapuato, near the city of Guanajuato, on Wednesday.
Secretary of Security Pedro Alberto Cortes Zavala confirmed the horrific incident, the second to happen in the town in the past month.
Cortes Zavala reported that several gunmen entered the annex, threw the patients to the ground and shot them.
The suspects reportedly fled the scene.
Some victims were rushed to local hospitals while others reportedly made their own way there following the shooting.
Local police, members of the National Guard and agents with the Attorney General of Guanajuato were at the scene hours after the incident.
Photos from the scene shared by cops with local reporters show at least 11 bloodied bodies lying in a room.
The attack was one of the worst mass slayings since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office 19 months ago, pledging to reduce the record levels of violence.
Contrary to what the president vowed, homicides hit a new record last year and are trending higher still in 2020.
A similar attack occurred on June 6, when 10 men were killed when gunmen opened fire in a rehabilitation center for addicts in Irapuato.
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It was not immediately clear if the same facility was hit both times.
Guanajuato, a major car production hub, has become one of the principal flashpoints of criminal violence in Mexico.
Rehab centers are known to have been targeted by criminal gangs waging turf wars for control of the drugs business.