Six killed in bar shooting in western Mexico

GUADALAJARA - A shooting attack left at least six people dead in a bar in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, a region hard-hit by gang violence, authorities said Saturday.

The incident took place late Friday in the town of Teocaltiche during celebrations for the anniversary of Mexican independence, the Jalisco prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"Several people were shot in a bar in the Maravillas neighborhood," the statement said.

After originally reporting four deaths, prosecutors on Saturday confirmed the toll of six dead.

Jalisco has been shaken by violence linked to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the largest criminal groups in Mexico.

Teocaltiche, which is north of the Jalisco capital of Guadalajara, was the scene of another shooting earlier this month that left two police officers dead.

Since the federal government in late 2006 launched a military-backed anti-drug offensive, more than 340,000 killings and some 100,000 disappearances have been registered, most of them linked to criminal organisations. - AFP