At least four people have been killed after gunmen opened fire at government offices in the Mexican beach resort of Cancun.

It comes just a day after at least five people died in another shooting at a nearby music festival.

Rodolfo del Angel Campos, chief of police for the state of Quintana Roo, said gunfire broke out at the state attorney general's office in Cancun, a city that is one of the most popular seaside destinations for foreign tourists in Mexico.

Federal police and the armed forces were called to the scene, del Angel said.

One policeman and three suspected gunmen were killed, and a further five suspects arrested, state governor Carlos Joaquin told Mexican television on Tuesday evening.

"The state is under control and in order," Joaquin said, adding that he had arranged with the Interior Ministry to send federal forces to reinforce security. </s> MEXICO CITY—Gunmen attacked the state prosecutor’s office in the popular Caribbean resort city of Cancún on Tuesday, and officials said four people had been killed in a battle with security forces.

The attack, the second shooting in two days, raised fears that drug violence has invaded one of Mexico’s most important tourist areas after five people died in a shooting at another nearby resort town a day earlier. </s> Five people have been shot dead and five more wounded in Cancún after gunmen burst into a bar in the Mexican resort city and opened fire.Quintana Roo state prosecutors said the attack on Saturday took place in a club called La Kuka, on a main avenue in central Cancún about 6km (4 miles) away from the Caribbean resort city's seaside tourist hotel zone, situated on the Yucatán Peninsula.Prosecutors said four men carrying a long gun and three handguns entered and began shooting. Two of the injured were in critical condition.Violence has been rising in Cancún and the state of Quintana Roo as a whole amid reports of the Jalisco New Generation cartel moving into the area and fighting local gangs for control.Also in January, gunmen shot and killed seven people at a house in Cancún, an incident that authorities attributed to a dispute between street-level drug dealers.State police said at the time that a suspected gang leader linked to the Jalisco gang was believed to be behind the attack. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption The state attorney's office in Cancun was targeted in the attack

An attack on the government offices in the Mexican beach resort of Cancun has left four people dead, officials say.

Police intervened after gunmen opened fire at the Quintana Roo state attorneys' office. TV showed footage in which intense gunfire could be heard.

One policeman and three suspected attackers died, governor Carlos Joaquin said. Five suspects were arrested.

Mr Joaquin described the attack as a reaction by gangsters to his crackdown on organised crime.

It happened one day after a gunman killed five people in a club in the nearby resort city of Playa del Carmen.

In that incident, Mr Joaquim said the attacker and one of the victims, a man from Veracruz, had a "personal conflict". A Canadian, an Italian and a US citizen were among the dead.

It was not clear if the two attacks were related, officials said.

Gunfire erupted during the attack in Cancun on Tuesday, causing panic on the streets, witnesses said.

A shopping centre was evacuated by security forces after people described hearing gunfire inside. But officials later said it was a false alarm.

Security checkpoints were set up near Cancun's hotel area, some 7km (4 miles) from where the attack happened, local media reported.

The US consulate in Merida urged Americans to follow local authorities' warnings and consult with their hotels before leaving the premises.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Plaza de Las Americas shopping centre was evacuated but police said it was a false alarm

Image copyright AFP Image caption Streets were deserted in the evening in central Cancun after the attack

Federal forces would be sent to help the local authorities, the governor said, without giving details of how many gunmen were involved in the attack.

Speaking on television in the evening, Mr Joaquin added: "The state is under control and in order...People from Cancun and our visitors can go about their lives as normal."

Quintana Roo, an area popular with foreign tourists, has long been spared from the drug-related violence that afflicts other parts of Mexico.
At least four people are killed in a shootout between Mexican Police and unknown gunmen after the latter opened fire on the Quintana Roo state attorneys' office in Cancún.