At least 39 people were killed on Friday in western Mexico during a battle between suspected gang members and security forces, two government officials said - the latest bloodshed in an area that has been plagued by violent drug gangs.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 37 civilians had been killed in the clash near to Tanhuato in the state of Michoacan, near the border with Jalisco, a region home to Mexico's second-biggest city, Guadalajara.
One official said two police had been killed in the shootout, while the other said three had died.
Jalisco, one of the engines of the Mexican economy, is the base of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which has become a major headache for President Enrique Pena Nieto this year.
The cartel has killed at least 20 police since March, and on May 1st the gang shot down an army helicopter in southwestern Jalisco, killing six military personnel.
In a series of concerted attacks that day, the gang also set vehicles, banks and gas stations ablaze around Guadalajara.
The identity of the gunmen involved in Friday’s clashes was not known, but the killings will increase pressure on Mr Pena Nieto to deliver on the pledge to bring stability to Mexico which he made upon taking office in December 2012.
More than 100,000 people have died in clashes between the drug gangs and security forces since the start of 2007.
Reuters