About 23 people killed in suspected arson attack in Mexico

At least 23 people have died in a bar fire in the southeastern Mexican port of Coatzacoalcos after a suspected attack, authorities said, in what appeared to be one of the most deadly acts of criminal violence under the current government.

Eight women died along with 15 male victims after the fire in the "Caballo Blanco" bar late on Tuesday, according to a statement by the attorney general's office of the state of Veracruz.

Another 13 people were seriously injured and are being treated in hospital, it said.

The attorney general's office condemned what it said could be a deliberate attack, while state police issued a statement on Twitter saying it was in pursuit of the suspected assailants.

Veracruz state governor Cuitlahuac Garcia suggested the fire may have been the result of a dispute between gangs.

Some Mexican media reported that gunmen had fired shots on the bar before setting it ablaze with Molotov cocktails.

The deaths follow an attack in April on another bar in Veracruz in the city of Minatitlan that killed 13 people and drew criticism from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December pledging to curb gang violence.

SS