At least four people have been killed after gunmen opened fire at government offices in the Mexican beach resort of Cancun.

It comes just a day after at least five people died in another shooting at a nearby music festival.

Rodolfo del Angel Campos, chief of police for the state of Quintana Roo, said gunfire broke out at the state attorney general's office in Cancun, a city that is one of the most popular seaside destinations for foreign tourists in Mexico.

Federal police and the armed forces were called to the scene, del Angel said.

One policeman and three suspected gunmen were killed, and a further five suspects arrested, state governor Carlos Joaquin told Mexican television on Tuesday evening.

"The state is under control and in order," Joaquin said, adding that he had arranged with the Interior Ministry to send federal forces to reinforce security. </s> MEXICO CITY—Gunmen attacked the state prosecutor’s office in the popular Caribbean resort city of Cancún on Tuesday, and officials said four people had been killed in a battle with security forces.

The attack, the second shooting in two days, raised fears that drug violence has invaded one of Mexico’s most important tourist areas after five people died in a shooting at another nearby resort town a day earlier. </s> Five people have been shot dead and five more wounded in Cancún after gunmen burst into a bar in the Mexican resort city and opened fire.Quintana Roo state prosecutors said the attack on Saturday took place in a club called La Kuka, on a main avenue in central Cancún about 6km (4 miles) away from the Caribbean resort city's seaside tourist hotel zone, situated on the Yucatán Peninsula.Prosecutors said four men carrying a long gun and three handguns entered and began shooting. Two of the injured were in critical condition.Violence has been rising in Cancún and the state of Quintana Roo as a whole amid reports of the Jalisco New Generation cartel moving into the area and fighting local gangs for control.Also in January, gunmen shot and killed seven people at a house in Cancún, an incident that authorities attributed to a dispute between street-level drug dealers.State police said at the time that a suspected gang leader linked to the Jalisco gang was believed to be behind the attack. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption The state attorney's office in Cancun was targeted in the attack

An attack on the government offices in the Mexican beach resort of Cancun has left four people dead, officials say.

Police intervened after gunmen opened fire at the Quintana Roo state attorneys' office. TV showed footage in which intense gunfire could be heard.

One policeman and three suspected attackers died, governor Carlos Joaquin said. Five suspects were arrested.

Mr Joaquin described the attack as a reaction by gangsters to his crackdown on organised crime.

It happened one day after a gunman killed five people in a club in the nearby resort city of Playa del Carmen.

In that incident, Mr Joaquim said the attacker and one of the victims, a man from Veracruz, had a "personal conflict". A Canadian, an Italian and a US citizen were among the dead.

It was not clear if the two attacks were related, officials said.

Gunfire erupted during the attack in Cancun on Tuesday, causing panic on the streets, witnesses said.

A shopping centre was evacuated by security forces after people described hearing gunfire inside. But officials later said it was a false alarm.

Security checkpoints were set up near Cancun's hotel area, some 7km (4 miles) from where the attack happened, local media reported.

The US consulate in Merida urged Americans to follow local authorities' warnings and consult with their hotels before leaving the premises.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Plaza de Las Americas shopping centre was evacuated but police said it was a false alarm

Image copyright AFP Image caption Streets were deserted in the evening in central Cancun after the attack

Federal forces would be sent to help the local authorities, the governor said, without giving details of how many gunmen were involved in the attack.

Speaking on television in the evening, Mr Joaquin added: "The state is under control and in order...People from Cancun and our visitors can go about their lives as normal."

Quintana Roo, an area popular with foreign tourists, has long been spared from the drug-related violence that afflicts other parts of Mexico. </s> Investigators are looking into a possible link between Monday’s shooting in Playa del Carmen and armed attacks yesterday in Cancún that left a police officer and three suspected criminals dead.

Government Secretary Francisco López Mena said in an interview this morning that organized crime was behind yesterday afternoon’s assault on the offices of the state Attorney General and the C4 security control center.

He claimed it was retaliation for the new state government’s crackdown on corruption.

Authorities declared a Code Red after a commando group described as heavily armed arrived on motorcycles at the offices of the Attorney General at about 4:00pm.

The attackers entered the building in the city’s downtown area and began shooting, killing Humberto Mora, a ministerial police officer. One of the perpetrators was killed as they left the building.

The gunfire created panic in the nearby Plaza las Palmas shopping center, where several businesses closed their doors.

There was more gunfire in the streets where traffic was paralyzed but minutes later more than 100 police officers arrived, reported Novedades Quintana Roo, which reported that the gunfire lasted for about 15 minutes.

More gunfire was heard shortly after at the Gran Plaza, where another criminal suspect was reportedly killed and at least two grenades detonated, and at the Plaza las Américas.

The Government Secretary said it was “very probable” that the attacks were a response to the government’s accusations of corruption against officials of the previous administration.

López said it was presumed that there was a link to the Playa del Carmen incident in which five people were killed and 15 wounded early Monday morning when a shooter entered the Blue Parrot bar and began firing at an individual inside.

López said none of Cancún’s tourism facilities nor tourists themselves were affected by yesterday’s gunfire and that conditions had returned to normal. The shootings took place some eight kilometers from the city’s hotel zone, where police implemented restrictions on access in response to the violence.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the shootings.

Governor Carlos Joaquín González said the attack on the Attorney General’s office came as a result of the government’s fight against impunity and corruption. He said the federal government had promised to send in Federal Police reinforcements to assist with security.

Stories from our archives that you might enjoy </s> OCAMPO, Mexico — The entire police force of a Mexican town in the state of Michoacán is being questioned in the assassination of a mayoral candidate, the office of the state’s attorney general told CNN on Monday.

Fernando Angeles Juarez of the Party of the Democratic Revolution was killed Thursday morning by unknown gunmen.

On Saturday, Michoacán State Police went to Ocampo to question 28 municipal officers in a routine check unrelated to Juárez’s death, the law enforcement agency said on Sunday. When they arrived, some of those officers fired shots in the air and resisted their authority, Michoacán State Police said. The agency said all 28 officers were detained on Sunday.

On Monday, the Michoacán State Attorney General’s Office confirmed that the officers are now under investigation in Juárez’s death.

Mexico is due to go to the polls on July 1 to pick its next president as well as hundreds of federal, state and municipal positions.

Juarez was one of two aspiring politicians killed in the western state of Michoacán in less than 24 hours. Omar Gomez Lucatero, an independent candidate for mayor of Agulilla, was shot dead on Wednesday afternoon.

The Mexico Attorney General’s Office said it is leading the investigations into the two candidates’ deaths. </s> CANCUN, Mexico -- Two Canadians were among at least five people killed Monday in a shooting attack at an electronic music festival in Mexico's Caribbean coast resort of Playa del Carmen, Mexican authorities said.

And Canadian government officials added that at least two other Canadians were wounded in the deadly incident at a popular night club.

The attorney general of Quintana Roo state said three of the dead appear were part of the security detail at the 10-day BPM electronic music festival.

Miguel Angel Pech said the shooting occurred about 2:30 a.m. at the Blue Parrot nightclub, one of the BPM Festival's venues in Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancun.

Pech said a lone gunman apparently tried to enter the nightclub, but was denied access because he had a gun.

The gunman began to exchange fire with another person inside, he said, and festival security personnel tried to stop the shooting and came under fire.

Pech said it was not a terrorist attack and that three people had been detained nearby, but it was unclear if they had been involved in the shooting.

"We know of another shooting incident that occurred near the nightclub, but we are investigating whether that is related" to the nightclub shootings," Pech said.

He said 20 bullet casings from three different pistols had been found at the scene, and said it was unclear if the security detail had been armed or fired any of the weapons.

The government of the township that includes Playa de Carmen referred in a statement to "attackers who fired shots," but did not provide further details.

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.

Pech said 15 people were injured, included one Mexican woman who was seriously injured. He said eight of the injured --including two U.S. citizens and one Canadian --had been treated for less serious injuries at local hospitals and released.

He said three people had been detained nearby, but it was unclear if they had been involved in the shooting.

Rodolfo Del Angel, director of police in the state of Quintana Roo, told the Milenio TV station that he shooting was the result of "a disagreement between people inside" the nightclub and said security guards had come under fire when they tried to contain the dispute.

The BPM Festival posted a statement saying four people had been killed and 12 injured in an attack that involved "a lone shooter."

BPM wrote that "the violence began on 12th street in front of the club and three members of the BPM security team were among those whose lives were lost while trying to protect patrons inside the venue."

Playa del Carmen has largely been spared the violence that has hit other parts of Mexico.

Global Affairs Canada said it was able to confirm at least one Canadian fatality and was looking to verify the report about the second death.

"Consular officials in Playa Del Carmen and Mexico City are in ongoing contact with local authorities as they continue to address this tragic incident, and are providing consular assistance to Canadian citizens affected by the incident, including two who have been injured," spokeswoman Jocelyn Sweet said in an email.

- with files from The Canadian Press. </s> CANCUN, Mexico — Two Canadians are among five people killed today in a shooting attack at an electronic music festival in Mexico’s Caribbean coast resort of Playa del Carmen.

The attorney general of Quintana Roo state said that several of the dead appear to have been part of the security detail at the 10-day BPM electronic music festival.

Miguel Angel Pech said the shooting occurred about 2:30 a.m. at the Blue Parrot nightclub, one of the BPM Festival’s venues in Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancun.

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.

Pech said it was not any kind of 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.

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.

He said three people had been detained nearby, but it was unclear if they had been involved in the shooting.

Rodolfo Del Angel, director of police in the state of Quintana Roo, told the Milenio TV station that the shooting was the result of “a disagreement between people inside” the nightclub and said security guards had come under fire when they tried to contain the dispute.

The BPM Festival posted a statement saying four people had been killed and 12 injured in an attack that involved “a lone shooter.”

BPM wrote that “the violence began on 12th street in front of the club and three members of the BPM security team were among those whose lives were lost while trying to protect patrons inside the venue.”

Playa del Carmen has largely been spared the violence that has hit other parts of Mexico. </s> A shooting attack at an electronic music festival in Mexico's Caribbean coast resort of Playa del Carmen overnight left five people dead, including two Canadians, an Italian and a Colombian, authorities said.

The attorney general of Quintana Roo state said that four of the dead appear to have been part of the security detail at the 10-day BPM electronic music festival.

Miguel Angel Pech said the shooting occurred about 2:30 am (10pm Monday NZT) at the Blue Parrot nightclub, one of the BPM Festival's venues in Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancun.

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.

He said 20 bullet casings from three different pistols had been found at the scene, and said it was unclear if the security detail had been armed or fired any of the weapons.

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.

Pech said 15 people were injured, included one Mexican woman who was seriously injured. He said five of the injured —including two US citizens and one Canadian —had been treated for less serious injuries at local hospitals and released.

He said three people had been detained nearby, but it was unclear if they had been involved in the shooting.

Rodolfo Del Angel, director of police in the state of Quintana Roo, told the Milenio TV station that he shooting was the result of "a disagreement between people inside" the nightclub and said security guards had come under fire when they tried to contain the dispute.

The BPM Festival posted a statement saying four people had been killed and 12 injured in an attack that involved "a lone shooter."

BPM wrote that "the violence began on 12th street in front of the club and three members of the BPM security team were among those whose lives were lost while trying to protect patrons inside the venue."

Canadian officials could not immediately confirm if any of their citizens were among the victims in the shooting.
At least four people are killed in a shootout between Mexican Police and unknown gunmen after the latter opened fire on the Quintana Roo state attorneys' office in Cancún.