Journalist shot dead in Mexican resort town of Playa del Carmen

MEXICO CITY, July 24 (Reuters) - A journalist was shot dead in the Mexican beach resort town of Playa del Carmen, local state prosecutors said on Tuesday, adding to a growing list of fatalities in a country that has become notorious for violent attacks on media workers.

Gunmen opened fire on Ruben Pat, founder of website Playa News, in the early hours of Tuesday outside of a local bar near the beach, prosecutors from the state of Quintana Roo said in a statement. The bar was not within any of the area's many resorts.

Less than one month ago, another journalist at Playa News was shot dead in another part of the state.

Pat covered security matters and had been receiving threats for the past six months, according to one of his colleagues, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of facing reprisals.

Quintana Roo, which is home to the resort city of Cancun, was long one of Mexico's safest states, but security has deteriorated as gangs fight to control lucrative drug markets.

At least seven other journalists have died violent deaths in Mexico so far this year, according to data supplied by various non-governmental organizations.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)