Five people have been killed and 15 injured after a gunman opened fire in a nightclub near Cancun, Mexico, during a music festival.
Shots were fired at the Blue Parrot club in Playa del Carmen, an area popular with foreign tourists, at about 2.30am on the closing night of the 10-day BPM music festival.
Organisers said in a statement that at least four people were killed. Authorities later confirmed that five people were dead. One of the victims, a woman, was killed during the stampede from the club. The dead included two Canadians, an Italian and a Colombian.
The BPM organisers said three members of their security team were killed in the shooting, which was perpetrated by a lone gunman.
The attorney general of Quintana Roo state confirmed that several of the dead appeared to have been part of the security detail at the festival.
Miguel Angel Pech said a lone gunman apparently entered the nightclub and began to exchange fire with another person inside.
Festival security personnel tried to stop the shooting and came under fire.
Mr Pech said it was not a terrorist attack. But the shooting apparently caused a rush of people heading for the exits at the beachside club, and the lone female victim was killed during the stampede.
Mr Pech said 15 people were injured, one seriously. He said five of the injured had been treated for less serious injuries at local hospitals and released.
« We are overcome with grief over this senseless act of violence and we are cooperating fully with local law enforcement and government officials as they continue their investigation, » BPM said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
Video footage uploaded to social media showed people running from the club and through the streets.
A Scottish DJ playing at the festival, known as ‘Jackmaster’, tweeted: « Someone has come into the club in Playa del Carmen and opened fire. 4-5 dead and many wounded ».
« This is a very sad situation. Tryna get my head around it still. Thoughts and condolences to all affected, » he said.
The BPM festival, which was entering its 10th year, has grown to be one of the most important electronic music events in the world, with top DJs flying in every January to play the clubs of Playa del Carmen along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
