Death Toll 53 in Mexican Casino Attack



Casino Attack

(Monterrey, Mexico) From yesterday afternoon:

The death toll climbed as workers continued to pull bodies out of a burned casino in northern Mexico, where gunmen spread gasoline and ignited a fire that trapped and killed at least 53 gamblers and employees.

Family members gathered at the caution tape outside the Casino Royale after the Thursday afternoon fire in the northern industrial city of Monterrey, some crying and others yelling at police for providing no information. Later they were allowed to view bodies in the morgue to help identify the victims.[…]

Gov. Rodrigo Medina told the Televisa network late Thursday that the death toll had reached 53. The fire in a city that has seen a surge in drug cartel-related violence represented one of the deadliest attacks on an entertainment center in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels in late 2006.

Survivors report that gunmen stormed the casino about 4 PM carrying containers apparently full of gasoline.

The attackers shouted for the gamblers and employees to get out. Some people escaped. Some darted further into the building and became trapped amid flames and billowing smoke.

Authorities are blaming an ongoing turf war between rival drug cartels.