Morelos:

Eight people died in a weekend shooting in Mexico’s Morelos state, adjacent to Mexico City, authorities reported Sunday.

The attack occurred Saturday in the municipality of Huitzilac, off a highway connecting the capital with the tourist town of Cuernavaca.

Four people died on the scene while four others died after being taken to the hospital, the Morelos prosecutor’s office said.

Morelos is a popular vacation destination for Mexico City residents, although it borders restive Guerrero state, where various drug cartels operate.

In November of last year, an armed confrontation between police and alleged criminals left nine dead in Cuernavaca.

Around 450,000 people have been murdered across the country since 2006, when the government launched a controversial anti-drug offensive involving the military, according to official figures.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Eight people were reported killed in a mass shooting just south of Mexico City.

Local and state officials confirmed on May 12 that the attack occurred and there were some deaths, but didn’t give the number of victims. Local media reported that eight people died.

The government of the state of Morelos, which borders Mexico City, said the attack occurred late on May 11 in Huitzilac.

The forested mountain township has been plagued by illegal loggers, kidnappers, and drug gangs, in part because it provides the closest rural hideout near the capital.

The town’s mayor, Rafael Vargas, called the attack “a terrible violent act” and said that “several people” were killed.

“Right in the centre of town, several people were attacked and killed,” Mr. Vargas said. Apparently aware of the town’s rough reputation, Mr. Vargas said “The violence should stop. We will denounce all types of slander that seek to damage our people.”

Guadalajara, Mexico:

A shooting attack left at least six people dead in a bar in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, a region hard-hit by gang violence, authorities said Saturday.

The incident took place late Friday in the town of Teocaltiche during celebrations for the anniversary of Mexican independence, the Jalisco prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

“Several people were shot in a bar in the Maravillas neighborhood,” the statement said. 

After originally reporting four deaths, prosecutors on Saturday confirmed the toll of six dead.

Jalisco has been shaken by violence linked to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the largest criminal groups in Mexico.

Teocaltiche, which is north of the Jalisco capital of Guadalajara, was the scene of another shooting earlier this month that left two police officers dead.

Since the federal government in late 2006 launched a military-backed anti-drug offensive, more than 340,000 killings and some 100,000 disappearances have been registered, most of them linked to criminal organizations.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)