by Our Foreign Staff, The Daily Telegraph, January 17, 2017
Five people have been killed and 15 injured after a gunman opened fire in a nightclub in 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 shooter.
The attorney general of Quintana Roo state confirmed that several of the dead appear 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 beach-side club, and the lone female victim was apparently killed during the stampede.
"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.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.
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".
He added later: "This is a very very sad situation. Tryna get my head around it still. Thoughts and condolences to all affected."
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.
The festival is popular with British and American tourists.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are seeking information from emergency services in Mexico, following reports of a shooting in Playa del Carmen."
Quintana Roo and the surrounding Yucatan peninsula have traditionally been less violent than other parts of Mexico, with relatively low murder rates.
However, with many foreign tourists and a vibrant night life scene, there has long been an important local drug market in and around Playa DelCarmen.
In recent years, Mexico's Caribbean coast has drawn DJs and fans of electronic music to the beautiful, balmy region during the frigid European and North American winters.
The shooting represents a blow to Mexico's tourism industry, which has been one of the few bright spots in the economy thanks to a weak peso exchange rate.
This article was written by Our Foreign Staff from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.