An armed attack against a family took place this Wednesday in the state of Zacatecas, after armed individuals opened fire on a tourist transport van on Federal Highway 45, on the stretch that connects Zacatecas with Durango, near the municipality of Saín Alto.
According to official information, the attack occurred in broad daylight when armed civilians intercepted a Sprinter van labeled Zertravel, a tourist transport company based in Aguascalientes. The vehicle was carrying a group of people allegedly traveling to the port of Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
The victims of the attack are an adult male and a 12-year-old girl, who died from gunshot wounds. Two other people were seriously injured, according to a video message posted on social media by the Secretary General of the Government of Zacatecas, Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza.
The official confirmed that the crime occurred on the stretch of border between the municipalities of Saín Alto and Fresnillo. There, members of the State Public Security Secretariat soon afterward located the vehicle believed to have been used by the attackers: “This incident will not go unpunished,” he warned.
So far, authorities have not confirmed whether the victims were tourists. However, the attacked vehicle had Zertravel markings and was traveling on a road commonly used by travelers traveling to tourist destinations in this region. The body of the van was riddled with multiple bullet holes, evidence of the assailants’ violent actions.
Following the attack, security forces from all three levels of government—including the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), the National Guard (GN), the Mexican Army, and the State Preventive Police (PEP)—mounted a search operation in the border area with Durango to attempt to capture those responsible.
Preliminary hypotheses in Zacatecas: mistake or targeted attack?
For now, the state prosecutor’s office has not confirmed the motive for the attack. However, unofficial sources consulted by local media do not rule out a direct attack, possibly due to a mistaken identity or a dispute related to illegal drug trafficking activities.
Another line of investigation suggests that the vehicle may have been intercepted by an armed group seeking to intimidate or send a message to a rival cell, or even to the authorities, given that they take advantage of the visibility offered by an attack in broad daylight on a federal highway.
Zacatecas: A Highway in Dispute over Organized Crime
Federal Highway 45 is a key route for both commercial transportation and tourism. However, it has also been the scene of repeated armed attacks, clashes, kidnappings, and forced disappearances.
This highway crosses regions controlled or disputed by cells of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which has turned sections like Saín Alto into critical risk points. The circulation of tourist vehicles in this context increases the vulnerability of passengers to direct attacks or misidentification by armed groups.
Source: infobae
