WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT — Gruesome pictures show the bodies of kids on the floor after they were killed in a hail of gunfire at the arcade in Uruapan, in the central Mexican state of Michoacan
At least nine people have been killed including children following a bloody shootout at a slot-machine arcade in Mexico.
The youngest victim was a boy just 12 years old, while four teenagers were also murdered in a hail of gunfire.
Monday's slaughter in the city of Uruapan, in the central Mexican state of Michoacan, is the latest in a wave of violence sweeping the country.
Police fear the shooting in Michoacan's second-biggest city was related to rival drug gangs.
Michoacan's attorney general said in a statement late on Monday that eight people had died in the arcade shootout.
Another person died while receiving medical attention while others were injured.
The youngest victims were aged 12 and 13, while others aged 14, 17 and 18 also died, the prosecutor's office said.
Footage on social media showed bodies lying in pools of blood on the floor of the arcade.
Authorities haven't yet given a motive for the deadly shooting in Uruapan, a city that has long suffered from gang violence.
Criminal cartels fight for control of the drug trade, as well as the increasingly lucrative avocado farming industry.
Although children are rarely targeted, drug gang feuds were largely responsible for Mexico's bloodiest year in 2019, with more than 34,600 killed.
Drug gangs in Mexico are often involved in extorting money from slot-machine arcades.
Increasingly, critics have slammed the government's security measures and low conviction rates.
Mexican media reported the shootout was linked to a dispute between rival cartels trying to seize control of the trade in synthetic drugs.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general wouldn't comment, adding that investigations are ongoing.
The prosecutor said four gunmen used Mexican military-ordered weapons.
In the aftermath, 65 bullet casings from 9mm weapons were found in the arcade.
Uruapan is a major centre for the processing and export of avocados, many of which are exported abroad.
