At least 11 people have been killed and more than a dozen others injured after gunmen opened fire on a group of residents gathered at a football pitch in Salamanca, a city in central Mexico.
The attack happened on Sunday at the Cabañas football field in the Loma de Flores neighbourhood. Witnesses said several armed men arrived at the venue in multiple vehicles and began shooting indiscriminately at those present. Families had reportedly remained at the pitch to socialise after a local football match when the shooting began.
Residents in the area said they heard what sounded like more than 100 gunshots as panic spread through the crowd. Among the victims were at least one woman and one child. Emergency services and security forces were later deployed to the scene, while local and federal authorities launched an investigation. The motive for the attack has not yet been confirmed.
The incident comes amid worsening violence in Guanajuato State, which recorded the highest number of murders in Mexico last year. Salamanca has been particularly affected due to its proximity to a major refinery operated by state oil company Pemex.
Analysts say the region has become a hotspot for clashes between rival criminal groups, notably the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima. These gangs are involved in fuel theft, drug trafficking and extortion, often targeting oil pipelines and tanker trucks.
The shooting also followed a series of violent incidents in Salamanca a day earlier, during which several people were killed and another abducted, highlighting the growing insecurity in the area.
