MEXICO CITY , Mexico ( CNN ) -- Eight people were killed and 101 were wounded in two explosions during a celebration of Mexico 's independence day Monday night , a Mexican official said Tuesday . Wounded people get help after blasts Monday night during an independence day event in Morelia , Mexico . Two people remained in grave condition , said Roman Armando Luna Escalante , secretary of health in Michoacan state . Eleven of the wounded were children , Luna Escalante said . None of them are gravely injured . The explosions occurred around 11 p.m. near the governor 's residence in Morelia , the capital of Michoacan . The second blast happened shortly afterward a few blocks away . Officials would not say if they have any suspects or if any group has claimed responsibility . Some experts pointed to drug cartels or insurgents . `` It could be a warning to the federal government , which has put a lot of money and manpower to deal with drugs , which are very powerful there , '' said Peter Hakim , president of the Inter-American Dialogue , a Washington-based think tank on Western Hemisphere affairs . `` It could be leftist guerrilla groups that occasionally throw a bomb . `` The problem is that this is part of a real wave of violence that is consuming Mexico . '' Last week the bodies of 24 people , bound and shot execution-style , were found in Atlapulco , a town just south of Mexico City . Those killings Friday came roughly two weeks after tens of thousands of Mexicans marched on the nation 's capital , calling for greater government action against the wave of violent crime . Non-governmental groups estimate there have been more than 1,500 killings in Mexico this year linked to organized crime . In late August , Mexican President Felipe Calderon met with the country 's 32 governors to develop a plan to battle the rise in violent crime . Calderon , who was born in Morelia , condemned the attacks and said federal officials will redouble efforts to help state authorities investigate . More than 1,500 soldiers and federal police were maintaining order Tuesday , which marks the 198th anniversary of what Mexicans regard as their independence day . Festivities typically start the night before because on September 16 , 1810 , shortly before dawn , a priest in a village in the state of Guanajuato rang a church bell and called on Mexicans to fight for independence from Spain . The celebration in Morelia on Monday night was one of hundreds nationwide to celebrate that call for independence , which Mexico formally achieved in 1821 .
NEW : Death toll rises to eight in two blasts , official says ; more than 100 wounded . NEW : Mexican president says federal officials will help investigate . Explosions occurred during independence day celebration in Morelia .