Gun attack on central Mexico bar kills 12

Twelve people were killed in a shooting at a bar in central Mexico on Saturday, local authorities said, with growing cartel violence making the region one of the country's most dangerous.

Industrial Guanajuato state has become the site of a raging dispute between two rival groups -- the Santa Rosa de Lima and Jalisco New Generation cartels -- known for carrying out drug trafficking and fuel theft.

Police believe the attack took place when an armed group entered the bar in the city of Irapuato at around 8 pm and opened fire on customers and staff.

Police did not specify the identity of the attackers or their motives. The assailants are being hunted by state police, the army, the prosecutor's office and the National Guard, the municipal government said.