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> 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> At least 15 people have been killed in a nightclub shooting in Mexico. The attack happened at La Playa men’s club in Salamanca in Guanajuato state - one of Mexico’s most violent regions. Witnesses say armed men pulled up in three vans, burst into the club and opened fire.

"Wounded people rushed out,” said one local resident, “running for their vehicles. And then the whole night, they were taking bodies out."

Criminal violence in the region centers around the theft of fuel from a nearby oil refinery. Earlier in the week, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, launched an offensive to capture a local gang leader thought to be involved in fuel trafficking. </s> At least 15 people have lost their lives after a shooting at a nightclub in Mexico City. </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. </s> At least 15 men have died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, prosecutors said Saturday.

The nightclub lies in Guanajuato state, where authorities have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft. </s> At least 15 men died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, officials said Saturday.

Another four people, three men and a woman, suffered injuries, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office told Agence-France Presse.

The club lies in Guanajuato state, where authorities have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft.

The attack took place in the early hours Saturday as several heavily armed men opened fire at the La Playa nightclub in Salamanca before making off in a vehicle, the spokesman said.

Salamanca is the site of the main pipeline of the state oil company, where fuel thieves have cost the firm around $3 billion over the last few years. </s> A lone shooter opened fire outside a nightclub in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, killing four people during the final night of the BPM Festival. </s> CANCUN, Mexico — A Mexican police officer said Monday a gunman has killed at least five people and wounded nine others at a nightclub in the Caribbean coast resort of Playa del Carmen.

The officer who gave the information spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to give details about an ongoing investigation.

The shooting occurred outside the Blue Parrot nightclub, which was hosting an event that was part of the BPM electronic music festival. The BPM Festival posted a statement saying four people had been killed and 12 injured. The statement said the attack 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.”

The Blue Parrot is one of the venues at the 10-day festival in Playa del Carmen, a tourist destination that has largely been spared the violence that has hit other parts of Mexico.
A mass shooting inside a nightclub in Cancún, Mexico, leaves five dead and five wounded.