Red Cross resumes service after kidnapping in central Mexico

MEXICO CITY – The Mexican Red Cross briefly shuttered operations in the central city of Salamanca after a man wounded by gunfire was pulled from one of its ambulances by gunmen over the weekend.

The Guanajuato state chapter of the first-aid group said it resumed ambulance service Sunday in the city of roughly 270,000 people after suspending service following Saturday’s incident.

Salamanca has been plagued by violence between fuel theft gangs due to its gasoline refinery.

In a statement, the Mexican Red Cross said it “is an impartial and neutral institution before all conflicts and its purpose is to relieve human suffering,” adding the hashtag “We are not part of the conflict.”

Earlier this month, a woman with gunshot wounds was executed inside an ambulance in Mexico’s Pacific state of Guerrero.