(Newser)
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Police in Acapulco are hunting a gang of men behind a vicious, hours-long attack on a group of Spanish tourists. The five armed and masked attackers raped six Spanish women after forcing their way into a rented beach house and tying up their six male companions, CNN reports. Authorities say the attack does not appear to be drug cartel-related, though analysts say the line between common and organized crime in the resort city has become extremely blurred after years of drug war carnage, reports the CBC.
Acapulco Mayor Luis Walton swiftly condemned the attack, admitting it would hurt the city's image, but later apologized for saying "it happens anywhere in the world," Reuters reports. The mayor "very much laments the misinterpretation of his comments, which were never intended to hurt the victims or minimize the facts," his office said in a statement. The victims, who range in age from 20 to 34, are now under the protection of Mexican authorities and are receiving consular assistance.
