A group of gunmen stormed a bar in Mexico’s central state of Guanajuato, where ten people were killed and seven others wounded.

The incident took place around 11 pm local time on Saturday (0500 GMT) at the “El Estadio” bar in the town of Apaseo el Grande, when a group of armed men burst in and opened fire at customers and employees of the bar along a highway that connects the cities of Celaya and Queretaro.

Three of those killed are women, officials said. The authorities have reinforced security in the area with members of various law enforcement agencies.

The State Attorney General’s Office said via Twitter that it had opened an investigation to find those responsible for the violent incident on Saturday.

Guanajuato is one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations. A prosperous industrial region, it has now become the country’s bloodiest state.

Mexico is witnessing one of the bloodiest turf wars between cartels who are vying to establish their dominance to conduct drug trafficking and fuel theft.

Four Americans were kidnapped earlier this month in the Mexican city of Matamoros. They were reportedly visiting for medical tourism when they were caught in the crossfire between rival cartel groups and abducted.

Two of them were returned to the US, while two others were found dead. A Mexican bystander was also killed.

One of the cartel groups in Matamoros apologised for the killings and turned over the men they say are responsible to police, saying kidnappers “acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline” when they ambushed the victims.

In light of this incident, the Texas authorities issued a warning to Americans, especially those planning spring break trips, to skip travelling to Mexico.

“Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity represent a significant safety threat to anyone who crosses into Mexico right now,” Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said in a statement.