Photo: VCG

 
The death toll from a bar fire attack on Tuesday in eastern Mexico has reached 30, local authorities said on Saturday.

A 19-year-old male victim died in a hospital in Coatzacoalcos, the coastal state of Veracruz, increasing the death toll, Veracruz Health Ministry told Xinhua, adding that three other victims are still hospitalized.

Four gunmen set fire to the Caballo Blanco Bar in the coastal city Tuesday night, then blocked its exits. The motive of the arson was not immediately clear.

Authorities were investigating whether drug cartels were behind the attack, said Jorge Winckler, the attorney general of Veracruz on Thursday.

Initial investigation suggested it was an act of retaliation after the bar owner refused to let a gang sell drugs in the bar, Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia said earlier.