Seven dead including seven-year-old child after gunmen storm Mexican holiday resort fleeing with CCTV footage

SEVEN people including a child have been killed after gunmen stormed a Mexican holiday resort before fleeing with CCTV footage.

Another person was seriously injured after the armed men opened fire at the La Palma retreat.

Footage widely shared on social media showed the shocking aftermath of the attack at the palm-studded resort in the small town of Cortazar in the state of Guanajuato.

Authorities said the attackers broke into the resort store and stole the security cameras and monitors before fleeing.

It was not clear who was behind the shooting that killed the seven-year-old, three men and three women, Cortazar's local security department said.

But in recent years rival drug cartels have been waging brutal battles to control territory and trafficking routes through the state.

Video taken soon after the attack showed shocked adults and children walking past piles of dead bodies near a swimming pool.

"Heavily armed sicarios arrived and this is what happened," an unidentified man said, using a word for hired assassins as he filmed at the resort in a video shared on the internet.

Police said families were relaxing around a swimming pool when the gunmen launched their attack at about 4.30pm local time (10.30pm GMT).

Cops and Mexican soldiers deployed a helicopter in a bid to search for the runaway gunmen.

No arrests have been made yet as authorities continue to investigate the motive.