Mexican gang gunfight kills 21 persons

Mexican officials say at least 21 people have been killed in a gunfight between two of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels near the border with the US.



They say the incident occurred off a remote dirt track near the city of Nogales, in the northern state of Sonora.



Nine people have been arrested, six of whom were wounded in the confrontation.



Correspondents say gangs are involved in smuggling drugs and people to the US, and have been battling for control of the area, a key trafficking route.

However, they rarely stage such large-scale shootouts.



There is no indication about what specifically triggered yesterday’s gunfight between the Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, and an offshoot, the Beltran Leyva cartel.