Gunmen attack children's shelter in Mexico, one killed

Oaxaca (Mexico), Dec 3

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a children's shelter in a Mexican town, killing a boy and wounding three other children, officials said.

The attack on San Juan Copala, where Triqui Indians live, occurred last Saturday, when "a group of armed people attacked the children's shelter" in the remote mountain town, municipal spokesman Jorge Alvino told EFE.

San Juan Copala is located some 350 km west of Oaxaca city.

Elias Fernandez de Jesus, whose age was not given, died in the attack, Alvino said.

Officials in San Juan Copala declared the town an "autonomous municipality" two years ago.

Under the Mexican Constitution, ethnic minorities have the right to govern themselves, set their own rules and follow customs.

State officials do not have any information about the attack on the town, Oaxaca state's interior minister, Joaquin Rodriguez, told EFE.

"They should have notified us by now, but no one knows anything," Rodriguez said, adding that San Juan Copala was a "remote town".

Several different groups have been fighting for power in San Juan Copala.

"The situation is very difficult, everyone is staying inside because they are afraid of another clash," said Severiano Martinez, one of the leaders of the Triqui Region Social Welfare Unit.

Last updated on Dec 3^rd, 2009 at 11:20 am IST--EFE

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