MONTERREY, Mexico — Gunmen burst into a casino in the northern city of Monterrey on Thursday and doused the premises with a flammable liquid, starting a fire that killed more than 20 people and left a dozen injured, authorities said.
The fire at the Casino Royale in Mexico's third largest city and industrial hub represented one of the deadliest attacks against an entertainment centre in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels in late 2006.
State police officials said at least two men drove up in front of the casino in a prosperous part of Monterrey and carried out the attack. Fire quickly engulfed the casino, sending dense smoke shooting from the building.
Initial reports said 11 people had been killed, but emergency personnel and firefighters continued to find bodies in the casino building. Medics treated the victims for smoke inhalation.
Monterrey Mayor Fernando Larrazabal told the Milenio television network that "the information I have is that there are more than 20 people" dead in the attack.
State police officials initially said witnesses reported hearing three explosions before the fire started, but later said that a flammable material was used. The officials were not authorized to be quoted by name for security reasons.
The reports of explosions may have been the sound of the ignition of the liquid.
While there was no immediate information linking the attack to drug cartels, Monterrey has been the scene of bloody turf battles between the Zetas and Gulf cartels in recent months.
Once Mexico's symbol of development and prosperity, drug-related murders this year in Monterrey are on pace to double last year's and triple those of the year before.
