Mexican football match abandoned after shootout outside stadium

A first division football match was suspended after gunfire erupted outside a stadium in northern Mexico, sending players fleeing and spectators ducking for cover under seats. Santos and Morelia were drawing 0-0 on Saturday when gunmen attacked a nearby police station in Torreon city.



About 40 minutes into the match, thundering shots pierced through the noisy stadium. Players and officials ran off, leaving the football at the centre of the pitch. Crowds ducked under seats as others scuttled through the field carrying children.

Commentators went quiet. "This is bad, I think it's gun shots," a sportscaster says in Spanish. Military officials found an abandoned vehicle with weapons near the stadium after a ground and air surveillance.


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Mexican President Felipe Calderon said there were no fatalities. Torreon is in the state of Coahuila, which like other border states, has seen a high level of drug cartel-related violence.