Tanhuato de Guerrero, Mexico - At least 37 people were killed Friday in a gunfight with federal police in a western Mexico region hit by cartel violence, in one of the bloodiest clashes in the country's drug war.
Two police officers also died in the shootout with armed civilians in the municipality of Tanhuato, in Michoacan state, near the border with Jalisco state, a federal government official told AFP.
The overall death toll of 39 was a "preliminary figure," the official said on condition of anonymity. Local media said as many as 43 armed civilians were killed.
Michoacan Governor Salvador Jara said the clash erupted when security forces stopped a suspicious vehicle, prompting its passengers to shoot.
"This was the beginning and then it evolved because the preliminary report I have is that those who were attacking were numerous," Jara told Radio Formula, adding that he could not confirm the death toll.
A federal police commander told AFP that the convoy chased the shooters into a ranch known as El Sol, where the clashes continued. Some 500 federal police and troops were guarding the ranch.
Jara said it was "very probable" that the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel was involved but that the attack was under investigation.
Another federal official said the government would make an official announcement late in the day. The security cabinet was reportedly heading to the area.
Michoacan and Jalisco have endured some of the worst violence in a drug war that began to escalate in 2006, when the government deployed troops to combat cartels.
More than 80,000 have been killed and another 22,000 gone missing nationwide in the past nine years.
AFP
