MEXICO CITY, March 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed and three others injured in a bar attack in central Mexico on Saturday, said local authorities.
The attack was carried out by a group of armed men at a nightclub named "La Playa" in the early hours of Saturday in the city of Salamanca in Guanajuato state, said the state prosecutor in a statement.
The prosecutor confirmed that 13 people were killed at the scene, and two others died after being taken to hospital.
The dead are all men while the three injured are women who are in a delicate condition, said medical personnel.
About 70 shell casings fired by the attackers who escaped in a van were found by police.
Agents with the specialized unit for homicide investigations are working to identify the bodies and determine the cause of the attack.
The attack came on the heels of a police operation aimed at breaking up a band of fuel thieves known as the "Santa Rosa cartel" in the nearby town of Santa Rosa de Lima.
The state of Guanajuato suffered a doubling of murders last year, making it one of Mexico's most violent regions, official data show.
