Five Confirmed Dead In Mexico Festival Nightclub Shooting

At least five people have been killed and 15 others injured after a gunman opened fire outside the Blue Parrot nightclub in Playa del Carmen, a Mexican resort town.

The gunman opened fire during a BPM electronic music festival, reports the ABC. Four foreigners are among those who have died, including two Canadians, an Italian and a Colombian.

A woman died in a stampede as people rushed to the club’s exit.

Quintana Roo state Attorney-General Miguel Angel Pech announced in a press conference that a lone gunman apparently tried to enter the nightclub at around 3:00am local time; he was denied entry because he had a weapon.

The gunman then began exchanging fire with another person inside the club.

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) 16 January 2017

Tim Mullen from Perth told the ABC he was inside the Blue Parrot nightclub when the shooting occurred. “About four or five hours into the party we heard a couple of ‘pops’ going off, and we at first thought it was fire crackers," he said.

"We looked across the dance floor to establish whether or not anything was going off that we needed to see and when we didn’t see any fireworks we started thinking the worst."

According to Mr Pech, 10 of the injured people are still in hospital with one person in a critical condition.

The attack has not been linked to terrorism.

BPM Festival has expressed grief over the incident in a statement on its Facebook page.

More than 2,000 people were in the club at the time of the shooting, including many Australians, Mr Mullen said. BPM is one of the world’s highest regarded electronic music events, and was entering its 10th year with high profile DJs flying in to perform.

Shootings aren’t uncommon in Mexican clubs and are often linked to gang violence, though the venues targeted aren’t typically tourist oriented.

Photo: Twitter (@mattytoophatty)