At least 5 people are dead after gunfire erupted early in the morning at a nightclub in Playa del Carmen, Mexico during the popular music event BPM Festival, which attracts partygoers from across the globe. More than a dozen others are injured, according to officials.
Hundreds of people filled the Blue Parrot club when gunfire was initially heard. Footage from social media shows people fleeing the venue, some of whom are visibly injured.
Caos en las calles de playa del carmen. NO SALGAN. Chaos on the streets. STAY SAFE. #blueparrot #bpm pic.twitter.com/ZHJZRq7PD3
— Pipe Llorens (@pipellorens) January 16, 2017
“I heard what sounded like firecrackers. Everyone started screaming and running for cover,” witness Andrew Badecker told CNN Badecker was outside the Blue Parrot club when the shooting began. “I was trying to help people over [a fence]. I was worried someone would get trampled.”
A preliminary investigation suggests that the shooting began when a member of event security attempted to stop a patron from entering the venue with a firearm. Three people are being interrogated, but it is unknown if they were involved in any capacity.
It is believed that at least four of the dead were foreigners. Their nationalities have not been revealed by authorities, but five Mexicans, four Americans, two Canadians and a Colombian were listed among the wounded.
The festival issued a statement on the incident via their Facebook page, which contains some discrepancies with official reports about the incident. It claims that three of the fatalities were security guards at the venue, and that there were only four fatalities in total.
We’ll keep you posted.
Source: CNN.
Photo: BPM Festival.
