3 slain near beach in Acapulco

3 slain near beach in Acapulco

MEXICO CITY

Mexican authorities say three men were gunned down in a tourist-hotel quarter of the Pacific Coast resort city of Acapulco.

The Guerrero state prosecutors’ office reports that two 21-year-olds and a 27-year-old were killed Saturday on a street just off the beach.

Acapulco city and Guerrero state in general have experienced a wave of violence attributed to warring drug gangs.

Authorities say at least two rival groups are fighting for control in Acapulco, which for decades was famed as a favorite beach destination for Hollywood stars and other tourists.

The U.S. government recently banned its employees from traveling there for any reason due to the violence.

8 dead, 44 others hurt in bus crash

LAREDO, Texas

A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in far South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Webb County spokesman Larry Sanchez said seven people died at the scene on U.S. Highway 83 north of Laredo, the Laredo Morning Times reported. An eighth person died later at a hospital.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricardo Rangel says the bus, identified as belonging to OGA Charters, originated in the Rio Grande Valley and was headed to a casino in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo. The bus company is based in San Juan in Hidalgo County. There was no answer at the bus company and no one immediately responded to a message left there.

Titanic seaman gets gravestone

JERSEY CITY, N.J.

The family of a seaman whose quick actions helped prevent the additional loss of life in the sinking of the ocean liner Titanic has gathered to unveil a headstone on his grave.

Titanic enthusiasts joined members of the family of Robert Hopkins at Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City on Saturday to unveil the black granite headstone bearing his name.

The able-bodied seaman was aboard Lifeboat 13 when it was drawn under another descending lifeboat. He hollered for crew to stop lowering, and he and another crewman used knives to cut the ropes so they could row to safety.

The Titanic International Society pointed out his grave was unmarked, and Catholic Cemeteries offered to provide the headstone.

Hours after prom, 2 girls killed when car strikes tree

MAURICE RIVER TOWNSHIP, N.J.

A teenage driver lost control of her car and struck a tree, killing her and a friend and injuring two others Saturday, hours after celebrating at a high-school prom in New Jersey, police and friends said.

The four girls from Bridgeton were in a Chrysler PT Cruiser around 3:45 a.m. when the car lost control going through a curve on Route 49 in Maurice River Township, about 50 miles southeast of Philadelphia. It crossed over to the other side of the road and hit a tree, said State Police Sgt. Jeffrey Flynn.

Driver Daisia Sulton, 17, and passenger Mikayla Mosley, 15, were killed, Flynn said. Zyiah Stocks, 16, was hospitalized in critical condition, and Jada Barriento, 17, was listed in stable condition.

Friends and family posted on social media that at least three of the girls attended Bridgeton High School’s prom Friday night.

Thomasina Jones, the Bridgeton schools superintendent, said the girls are in the 10th and 11th grades.

Jones said the news of the tragedy came on the same day as a funeral for another student who was killed in a recent car crash.

Associated Press