July 9, 2026 / 6:33 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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The bombs started raining down from cartel drones at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, just as the sun crested over the mountains of central Mexico. The cluster of rural communities known as Guajes de Ayala now under siege had spent weeks warning law enforcement in the state of Guerrero of mounting threats by the encroaching cartel, La Nueva Familia Michoacana. But their calls for help went unheeded as World Cup celebrations engulfed major hubs like Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Now, all 24-year-old Marilu Solorio could do was hide in a nearby abandoned medical clinic, together with 70 other women, children and elderly - hoping the constant sound of drone explosions and gunfire between the cartel and the community's vigilante group would end. And when it did, that they would all still be alive. "While some are celebrating goals, others are getting massacred by drones carrying bombs," Solorio said, speaking about the soccer tournament over the phone from her shelter. "Instead of protecting people in the places where they've been playing the World Cup, (Mexico's government) should be protecting people like us, who have never done anything wrong."Mexican forces have concentrated on World Cup hubsMexican authorities quickly denied the attacks in violence-struck Guerrero - despite livestreamed videos by locals showing gunfire and smoke billowing from mountain lookouts set up by the residents to watch for signs of cartel presence. The attacks came as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has spent months grappling with how to address endemic criminal violence in Mexico.
