17 dead in Mexico rehab clinic shooting

JUAREZ, Mexico, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- At least 17 people were killed when gunmen stormed a drug rehabilitation center in the Mexican border town of Juarez.

Six or more other victims were wounded, local media reported. It was the second-worst attack in the oft-violent city in recent years, El Diario newspaper reported Thursday.

Juarez has been the scene of a recent spike in drug-related shootings and deaths since the escalation of the drug wars in Mexico.

In response to the violence, Mexican President Felipe Calderon last year sent about 30,000 troops to the border cities to assist local authorities.