The rampage took place in the northern city of Chihuahua near midnight yesterday, officials said, "when more than 30 gunmen arrived aboard six trucks."The gunmen climbed to the second floor of the Templo Cristiano Fe y Vida (Christian Faith and Life Temple) and fired large-caliber weapons at patients and employees before fleeing.
Chihuahua is the scene of a bloody struggle between drug cartels fighting for control of the lucrative trade.Authorities say rehab centers are often targeted by the cartels because they are used by individuals selling small quantities of drugs and as a refuge from violence.
Some 23,000 people have died in surging drug-related attacks following the launch of a military clampdown on organised crime, involving some 50,000 troops, at the end of 2006.