At least 10 people, including a minor visiting a relative, have been killed in a violent clash at a prison in Mazatlan, in Mexico’s northwestern state of Sinaloa, while 16 inmates sustained injuries.
The Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat confirmed the incident on Thursday, saying the violence erupted at the El Castillo Penitentiary Centre, leaving nine inmates and the young visitor dead.
Sinaloa’s Secretary of Public Security, Sinuhe Tellez, disclosed that the injured inmates had been transferred to medical facilities for treatment, while security forces from multiple agencies were deployed to restore order.
Authorities say the prison has been brought under control, with security personnel remaining at the facility. Visits have been suspended as a precaution, while social workers are contacting the families of those killed. Officials also assured that the remaining inmates were safe.
The incident comes amid persistent violence in Sinaloa, a state at the centre of a power struggle between rival factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
The security situation has prompted the United States Department of State to advise Americans against travelling to Sinaloa, alongside five other Mexican states.
Authorities have yet to establish whether the prison violence was connected to the ongoing cartel conflict.
