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| - Assailants shot and killed seven people, including a child, on a city street in central Mexico just a day after nine people died in another shooting nearby, officials reported Sunday. The latest attack took place Saturday night in the city of Celaya, in Guanajuato state, when armed men in two vehicles opened fire on a crowd at a taco stand, sending people running for cover. The attackers escaped. The victims included a child of about 5 years of age, according to a statement from the mayor's office. Witnesses said the attackers, who escaped, shouted a message of revenge. An attack a day earlier on a highway rest stop in nearby Villagran -- when a group of armed men burst into a hostel restaurant and opened fire -- killed at least nine people and wounded two others. Those attackers also escaped. And in December, three police officers died in an attack on a police station in Villagran. Celaya is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Villagran. In recent years, heavily industrialized Guanajuato has gone from being one of Mexico's most peaceful states to one of its most violent. Pipelines crossing the state have attracted criminal gangs trafficking in stolen fuel. Despite President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's promise to crack down on violent crime, the country saw nearly 29,000 murders last year. str/sem/llu/bbk/dw
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