Shooting at music festival in Mexico, at least 5 people dead

At least five people were killed and 15 injured after a shooting today at a music festival in the resort of Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

People gather outside the scene of the shooting at the Blue Parrot club in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Photo: Twitter

The organizers of the BPM electronic music festival said three of their security guards were among the dead, the Guardian reported. Authorities have not officially confirmed the death toll.

Video from the Blue Parrot club in the Playa del Carmen resort showed dozens of people running away from the music event in panic. Somewhere, people could be heard shouting "He's got a gun!"

In a statement posted on Facebook, BPM radio wrote: "We are deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence and we are working closely with local law enforcement and government officials to assist in the investigation."

Location of Playa del Carmen resort. Photo: Google Map

Valerie Lee, a witness at the scene, said she and others heard about four to five gunshots.

"It took everyone a few seconds to figure out what was going on. Then everyone started running," Lee said. "There was a big cement wall so we hid behind it, waiting to see what was going on. Some people said it was just fireworks. But not long after, other people came running and said they saw a guy with a gun."

Lee decided to run out into the street through the back alley of the club. She saw a lot of people crying. A friend of Lee said he was standing right next to the attacker and saw five people fall.

"The shooters didn't appear to have intended to enter the club, they just stood there and fired towards the entrance," he said.

Asked about the attackers' motive, Lee said she did not know what they wanted but added that "it did not seem like a terrorist attack", the attackers wanted to kill as many people as possible.

According to VNE