MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – At least 42 people were killed yesterday in western Mexico in a gunfight 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 at least two federal police died in the morning clash near Tanhuato in the state of Michoacan, near the border with Jalisco, a region home to Mexico’s second-biggest city, Guadalajara. The vast majority of those killed in the fight were suspected gang members, the officials said. A week ago federal forces replaced local police in Tanhuato following the assassination of a candidate for mayor in a nearby town.
