19 Jul 2010

Bloodbath in bar

1:03 pm on 19 July 2010

A birthday party at a bar in northern Mexico turned into a bloodbath when gunmen killed at least 17 people.

Police say gunmen arrived at a bar in the city of Torreon in five vehicles at about 1am on Sunday and opened fire with automatic weapons.

Torreon, which is in Coahuila state. has endured frequent clashes between rival drug gangs, fighting over smuggling routes into the United States.

The BBC reports more than 23,000 people have died in violence related to drugs since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the cartels in 2006.