Damaged vehicles and houses near the municipal police headquarters after a car bomb exploded outside the station the night before, injuring multiple people according to local media, in Ojocaliente, Zacatecas state, Mexico, August 31, 2026. REUTERS
MEXICO CITY, Aug 31 – A recent spate of bomb attacks has swept across Mexico, from car bombs to drones rigged with explosives, exposing an escalation in cartel violence that local authorities say has intensified over the past three years.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday, when a suspected car bomb ripped through the central Mexican state of Zacatecas, injuring at least 11 people, including two police officers, while causing extensive damage to about 40 buildings, the state’s governor, David Monreal, said on Monday.
The vehicle was abandoned outside the police headquarters in Ojocaliente, central Zacatecas.
Images on social media showed columns of fire and people, including children, running to escape the flames. Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the footage.
Initial reports suggest the attack was carried out by a criminal group in retaliation for the arrest of one of its members on Saturday, Monreal said at a press conference.
Sunday’s explosion follows nearly a dozen similar incidents, some carried out using “mini drones” loaded with explosives, or landmines, and points to an evolution in the operations of criminal groups, Monreal said.
Such attacks have been on the rise in Zacatecas in recent years, the state’s security head, Arturo Medina, said on Monday.
In 2024, just one such incident was registered, followed by six in 2025, with 10 so far this year, Medina said.
Medina did not specify the number of victims from these attacks.
“Organized crime is evolving; I don’t understand why people aren’t grasping the full extent of what’s happening in the country,” Monreal said.
Other states plagued by violence, including Michoacan, have seen similar attacks where criminal groups have used explosives to target security facilities, communities, or law enforcement.
Military personnel have been killed in these incidents. The Mexican central government has not commented on the issue.
Reporting by Lizbeth Díaz, Writing by Iñigo Alexander; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus
