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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UN condoles death of ex-Indian Army officer in Gaza, believes vehicle struck by Israeli tank
United Nations (PTI): The United Nations condoled and expressed apologies to India over the killing of a former Indian Army officer, who died in war-torn Rafah in Gaza when the vehicle he was travelling in was attacked by shots fired from what it believes was an Israeli tank.
Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale, 46, who retired prematurely from the Indian Army in 2022, joined the world body as a Security Coordination Officer in the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) two months ago.
He was killed, and another DSS staffer from Jordan was injured when their UN-marked vehicle was struck when they were travelling to the European Hospital in war-torn Rafah in Gaza on Monday morning.
Kale, who had commanded the 11 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles in Kashmir, is the "first international casualty" for the world body since the Israel-Hamas conflict started last year.
“We also express our apologies and our condolences to the Government and people of India,” Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at the daily press briefing on Tuesday in response to a question by PTI.
“We appreciate the contribution that India has made,” he said.
Haq said the UN has established a fact-finding panel to look into the deadly attack.
“It's very early in the investigation, and details of the incident are still being verified with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF),” Haq said.
The fact-finding mission is being set up by the Department of Safety and Security.
Haq said that a weapon appears to have impacted the back of the white UN vehicle that was carrying the two UN staff members, killing Kale and injuring the other DSS female staff member who is receiving medical attention and “we believe that she will make it through.”
“The deceased staff member has been identified. He is Waibhav Anil Kale of India, and we send our condolences to his family,” he said.
Haq confirmed that this was the “first international casualty” for the UN in Gaza and added that currently, the world body has 71 international staff in Gaza.
When asked if the UN is in contact with Israeli officials regarding the attack, Haq replied in the affirmative and said, “I think the point is we are in discussion with Israel to determine exactly how this incident happened and the nature of what happened."
"I don't think at this stage we are in doubt about where the shots came from as much as what the circumstances were,” he added.
Haq said the UN believes the shots came from a tank in the area.
When asked that only the IDF have tanks in the region, Haq said, “I think that's a safe assumption to make, yes.”
He said the convoy was going to the European hospital as "there's regular work that's going on in terms of bringing people to different sites and this was part of that.”
When asked if Israel apologised to the UN and if the world body sees this as a deliberate attack, Haq said the case is “still under review”.
"We'll see what the review results in,” he said, adding that “as the review proceeds, we'll need to see what the precise nature of the circumstances were.”
The Permanent Mission of India to the UN had said in a post on X that it is “deeply saddened” by the loss of Col Waibhav Kale. “Our deepest condolences are with the family during this difficult time,” it said.
UN chief Guterres expressed sadness to learn of Kale’s death and injury to the other DSS staffer and condemned all attacks on UN personnel, calling for a full investigation.
Guterres sent his condolences to the family of the fallen staff member.
“With the conflict in Gaza continuing to take a heavy toll – not only on civilians but also on humanitarian workers – the Secretary-General reiterates his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” Guterres said.
He said that more than 190 UN staff have been killed in Gaza.
"Humanitarian workers must be protected. I condemn all attacks on UN personnel and reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire & the release of all hostages,” he said.
