Two Filipino sailors were among the 28 slaughtered in a deadly bar attack in the city of Coatzacoalcos in Mexico, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced today.

The DFA said in a statement that the Philippine Embassy in Mexico “is now in touch with [the] authorities and the Filipino seafarers’ manning agency for the repatriation of their remains.” The DFA has not divulged the names of the Filipino victims.

“The DFA extends its condolences to the families of the Filipino seafarers, and the Embassy stands ready to provide further assistance if needed,” the statement added.

Gunmen attacked a strip club called Caballo Blanco (White Horse) on Tuesday night, spraying it with bullets, locking the exits, dousing it with gasoline, then setting it on fire, reported AFP. Because of the loud music playing inside the bar, many of the clients did not notice the attack until the bar was burning down around them.

Nine people were also wounded in the attack while most of the fatalities occurred due to smoke inhalation. It was not immediately clear if any died from gunshot wounds.

The attack occurred in the state of Vera Cruz, known as one of Mexico’s most violent states. Located in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s considered a hub of several drug cartels and human-trafficking syndicates who bring undocumented migrants to the United States.

Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia said the gang attacked Caballo Blanco because the bar’s owner refused to let them sell drugs there, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Meanwhile, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that one of the attackers was a man known as Ricardo N, a repeat offender also known as La Loca (“The Crazy One”).The suspect was arrested last month, but released within 48 hours.

Lopez Obrador has called for an investigation into the massacre, which he suggested may have been carried out with the collusion of the authorities, reported The Guardian.

According to The Economist, a quarter of the world’s ship crews are Filipino, making the Philippines the biggest source of mariners. Shipping companies started hiring Filipinos in the 1970s when they could no longer afford to hire staff from Western countries.

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