Grenade attack leaves 30 dead in Monterrey casino

At least 40 people have been killed and several injured in what appears to be a grenade attack at a casino in Monterrey, Mexico. The attack took place at 4 PM at the Casino Royale and appears to have been perpetrated by two people who threw at least three grenades into the building.

MONTERREY, MEXICO (Catholic Online) - Following the attack, the casino burned down. Witnesses report the attackers used gasoline to start a fire which quickly engulfed the building. As many as 30 people may have been trapped inside the building as a result of the grenade explosions. 

The company that owns and manages the casino has not yet issued a statement.

Mexico has been notoriously plagued with violence perpetrated by violent drug cartels and gangs that traffic people, drugs, and weapons. President Felipe Calderon issued a statement saying, "With deep consternation, I express my solidarity with Nuevo Leon and the victims of this abhorrent act of terror and barbarism. These reprehensible acts require us all to persevere in the fight against gangs of unscrupulous criminals. All the support to Nuevo Leon."

None of the victims have yet been identified, but several families have provided the names of loved ones they believe to be in the destroyed building. Anxious and mourning relatives wait near the scene as Mexican Army and police officials begin the recovery effort. 

Grenades have been a weapon of choice for those looking to do broad violence against innocents. On August 13, four people were wounded when gangsters threw two grenades at a jail facility in the town of Apodaca in Nuevo Leon. Other prominent attacks include a mass shooting by gunmen in July that left 20 people dead in a Monterrey nightclub.  

The town of Monterrey and the surrounding areas are caught in the midst of a gang war between two rival cartels. The Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas are clashing in an effort to control the lucrative drug routes into the United States.

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