Argentine tourist dies after Mexico machete attack

A young Argentine tourist who was attacked by a man with a machete in southern Mexico died of his wounds on Monday, the district attorney's office reported.

The victim, identified as 23-year-old Benjamín Gamond of Córdoba Province, was with a couple of Argentine friends at a restaurant in the Lagunas de Chacahua, located on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca, when they were attacked on Friday.

He "was transferred to Mexico City, where he died this Monday afternoon as a result of the injuries inflicted," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. 

Gamond's friends – identified as Santiago Lastra and Macarena Elía González – were also wounded but their injuries were not life-threatening.

The attacker was detained and on Wednesday will appear before a judge to be charged with aggravated homicide, the prosecutor's office added.

According to local media, Gamond was 23 years old, originally from Córdoba and a member of the Tala Rugby Club.

The possible motive for the attack was not immediately known. 

According to press reports in Mexico, the tourists had initial contact with the assailant on a boat. Subsequently, they saw him in the restaurant on Friday and for no apparent reason he attacked the group.

– TIMES/AFP