Car Bomb Explosion in Coahuayana, Michoacán, Leaves At Least Two Dead

The attack, which injured seven people, was directed against the Community Police facilities in the municipality of Coahuayana.

The Michoacán Security Cabinet confirmed the explosion of a car bomb near the Community Police facilities in the municipality of Coahuayana, which left two people dead and seven injured.

The attack was directed against the community security authorities. The blast from the explosive device damaged several homes, private vehicles, the community hospital, and nearby businesses that were still closed at the time of the explosion.

The Michoacán Public Security Secretariat (SSP) reported that an operation was launched to locate more explosive devices and those responsible for the attack, as well as rescue and emergency units to provide assistance to the injured and the population.

Residents of the town reported that from early Saturday morning, several pickup trucks without license plates and carrying hooded men with long guns began circulating, creating an atmosphere of unease, which led many businesses to remain closed and weekend vendors to pack up their stalls.

The municipality of Coahuayana is located in the southeast of the state of Michoacán in the coastal area bordering the state of Colima, about 700 kilometers from Morelia, the state capital.

According to unofficial reports, this attack was allegedly perpetrated by members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), who in recent days had suffered the capture of several of their regional leaders operating in the area and who are disputing the territory with Los Viagras and other smaller criminal cells. 

At the end of last September, the mayor of the municipality of Coahuayana, Andrés Rafael Aguilar Mendoza, of the Morena party, ordered the suspension of classes due to clashes between criminal groups. This action led the state governor, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, to publicly reprimand him and assure the public that the security situation “is completely under control.”

Around that same time, criminal groups had also detonated explosive devices, resulting in the deaths of two people.

Sources: Proceso, HRSANTOS