MEXICO CITY (AP) — A mayoral candidate and five other people were killed when they opened fire at a campaign rally in the violence-ravaged state of Chiapas in southern Mexico, authorities said.
State prosecutors said a young woman was among six people killed in the shooting Thursday night, along with mayoral candidate Lucero López Maza. Two people were also injured.
“A clash broke out between armed civilians during a political campaign event,” prosecutors said in a statement.
It was unclear whether López Maza was the intended target of the attack because shootings have become very common and widespread in the area.
The mass shooting occurred at a crossroads in the rural town of La Concordia, Chiapas, about 125 km from the border with Guatemala.
The area near the border with Guatemala is a major drug and migrant smuggling route, and Mexico’s two main drug cartels have been fighting for control of the region.
On Tuesday, 11 people were killed in mass shootings in a village in the municipality of Chicomuselo, Chiapas, a few dozen kilometers away from La Concordia.
The July 2 elections in Mexico were also marked by violencewith around 20 candidates dead so far in 2024.
