Revellers Killed in Grenade Attack on Mexican Independence Celebrations

At least eight people have been killed in a grenade attack on a crowd celebrating Mexican independence in the city of Morelia.

The attack, in which dozens were injured, could signal a new stage in the country's already vicious drug wars.

Two explosions ripped through the crowd of around 30,000 people minutes after they listened to the local governor giving the traditional Grito, or cry of independence.

The authorities did not immediately identify who they thought was to blame, but many observers assumed the involvement of Mexico's drug cartels.

While the country's various leftwing guerrilla groups traditionally shy away from killings, the cartels are deeply immersed in inter-gang wars for the control of trafficking routes, local markets and production.

They are also battling against a nationwide military-led offensive, aimed at reining them in, which began in Michoacan, the central state, of which Morelia is the capital, almost two years ago.

Launched by the president, Felipe Calderon, who comes from Michoacan, the offensive has so far made the violence worse with close to 3,000 people having been killed in drug-related violence so far this year.

Last Friday, 24 bodies were found dumped close to the capital less than two weeks after 12 decapitated bodies were found near the normally tranquil southern city of Merida.

Nevertheless last night's attack on a crowd of families, many of them with small children, would be a major scaling up of the traffickers' challenge to the government. They have so far focused on attacking rivals or members of the security forces.

A decision to attack the Morelia festivities would be about as charged a message as it would be possible to send in deeply nationalistic Mexico, where similar celebrations take place in the main squares of every city and town.

As the grenades were exploding in his home state, Calderon was watching the fireworks over the capital's Zocalo plaza.

He used his speech at the start of yesterday's military parade through the capital, another tradition that took place under heightened emergency security measures this year, to condemn the attackers as "cowards" and "traitors."

Calling for unity across the ideological spectrum he added: "These criminals are condemned to fail because they will have all of Mexico against them."