10 confirmed dead after shootout in northern Mexico beer hall

Ten people have been confirmed dead after gunmen stormed a beer hall in broad daylight in northern Mexico on Friday.

The incident took place in the Garcia suburb of the industrial city of Monterrey. Two vehicles with several armed men arrived at a Corona warehouse where beer is sold around 14:20 local time ( 1920 GMT), according to local media El Norte.

At around 15:00 local time (2000 GMT) the men entered the beer hall and opened fire, witnesses told local daily Reforma.

Seven people died at the scene of the crime and three more died from their injuries later in hospital, according to the Cruz Verde paramedics present at the scene of the crime.

The bodies inside the beer hall had been stripped naked and the assailants left with 10,000 pesos (650 U.S. dollars), said an official in the state prosecutor's office on condition of anonymity.

Local police, soldiers and medical teams rushed to the scene of the attack where they cordoned off the crime scene, according to Monterrey newspaper Info7.

It's unclear whether the victims were all employees of the beer hall, or if some of them were also clients.

However, the authorities have yet to formally identify the victims.

Although the motive behind the shooting is still unknown, local media are suggesting the involvement of one of Mexico's most violent drug gangs, the Zetas, who are known to operate in that area.

In 2010, the Zetas are accused of being behind an arson attack against a Monterrey casino that left 52 people dead.