25 killed as attackers ignite fire in Mexico bar
Coatzacoalcos (Mexico), Aug 28: At least 25 people were killed and 11 badly wounded when gunmen burst into a strip club in eastern Mexico, doused it with gasoline and ignited a raging fire, officials said Wednesday.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned Tuesday night's "shameful" attack in the city of Coatzacoalcos, and said federal authorities would investigate evidence that it may have stemmed from collusion between the state prosecutor's office and organised crime.
The attack is the latest to rock the state of Veracruz, a flashpoint in bloody turf wars between Mexico's rival drug cartels and a hotbed of political corruption.
Survivors said gunmen descended on the bar, the Caballo Blanco (White Horse), in a hail of bullets, blocked the entrances and set the club alight. But because of the loud reggaeton music pounding inside, many patrons and dancers did not even notice the attack until the entire bar was in flames, they said.
"They arrived in several vehicles, with rifles and pistols. They threatened the security guards at the door and took control of the main entrance," one survivor told an AFP reporter, speaking on condition of anonymity, as frantic family members rushed to the bar looking for their loved ones.
Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia tweeted that authorities had identified one of the attackers as Ricardo "N" -- Mexican law bars the release of suspects' full names -- adding that he was a repeat offender known as "La Loca" ("The Crazy One").
The suspect was previously arrested last month, but was released by prosecutors within 48 hours, Garcia said, vowing that "this vile crime... will not go unpunished."
President Lopez Obrador said federal authorities would investigate why the suspect had been released, and whether there was a conspiracy between the state prosecutor's office and organised crime.
"There's a problem there that needs to be investigated regarding the actions of the Veracruz prosecutor's office," he told a press conference.
"There are two things going on here: one is this shameful act by organized crime, the most inhuman thing possible; the other, which is also reprehensible, is a possible conspiracy with the authorities."
"We have to categorically separate organized crime from the government," added Lopez Obrador, a leftist elected last year on a stern anti-corruption platform.
Veracruz is one of the most violent states in the country. Its strategic location on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico makes it a popular route for drug cartels and for human traffickers bringing undocumented migrants to the United States.
Bloody battles between warring cartels and gangs frequently erupt in the state. Coatzacoalcos has been among the cities hardest hit by the violence.
The White Horse was one of the last nightclubs in the once-booming port city of 235,000 people, which has fallen on hard times along with Mexico's oil industry, of which it was a hub.
Survivors said the bar was bustling when the gunmen burst in. The attackers blocked the emergency exits, and many of the victims died of smoke inhalation, authorities said.
The interior of the bar was wrecked and charred, with chairs overturned and debris littering the floor.
The naked body of a woman who had been mid-routine was sprawled on the dance floor next to the striptease poles.
Outside, anguished relatives cried and embraced as they waited for news, while soldiers, police and paramedics worked the scene.
"I just want to know if he's OK," said a mother looking for her son, who was a cleaner at the bar, after searching for him in vain at local hospitals.
"Have you seen my daughter? She was a dancer," said another.
Mexico has been hit by a wave of violence since declaring war on drugs and deploying the army to fight its powerful cartels in 2006.
Since then, more than 250,000 people have been murdered, including a record 33,753 last year.
The situation in Veracruz has been particularly grim. Jailed ex-governor Javier Duarte (2010-2016) is accused of presiding over a rash of corruption and human-rights abuses.
Two former state police chiefs and a string of ex-officials have been charged with running hit squads that abducted and presumably killed unwanted individuals during Duarte's administration.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
