MEXICO (Sputnik) – According to Herminio Garza Palacios, the state’s interior minister, armed men broke into two private houses early on Saturday and started shooting at the residents.
The majority of those killed were women, including five underage girls. Eleven victims were reportedly members of the same family.
Four people were injured, the official added.
Immediately after the attack, local security forces launched an operation to find the suspects, but to no effect so far, Palacios said.
Tamaulipas, located on the border with the United States, is a major transit point for drug and people smugglers. The state has long been engulfed in conflict between two major gangs – the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas.