At Least 19 Killed in Mexico Gang Clash

At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between armed groups in Madera, the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, the state Prosecutor's Office said on Saturday.

"The operation was immediately deployed when a report was received Friday at approximately 6:35 p.m., regarding a possible confrontation between rival groups linked to organised crime, in an area that leads from Las Varas to Largo Maderal", the General State Prosecutor's Office (FGE) of Chihuahua said in a statement.

The police forces who arrived at the scene located the bodies of 18 civilians, 18 long weapons, two vehicles and two grenades that were seized. Two injured men were also found by the police and taken to hospital, but one of them died, bringing the death toll in the incident to 19. The other man remains in custody.

Raids of this type are not rare in Mexico, where violent armed groups are a sad reality.