16 dead as criminal gangs clash in Mexico

Sixteen people died in Mexico's central state of Zacatecas following an apparent violent dispute between criminal gangs, authorities said on Saturday, as the state grapples with a spike in violence.

State prosecutor Francisco Murillo said 10 bodies were found wrapped in blankets in the streets of the Fresnillo municipality while another six were "suspended" inside a warehouse in the nearby community Panfilo Natera, reports Reuters.

Two people who were transporting another corpse a day earlier have been arrested, he added, saying the person could be linked to the other deaths.

Last month, authorities found the bodies of 10 people abandoned inside a vehicle in the historic center of the state capital, also named Zacatecas, a few steps from the government offices.

Homicides rose last year, official figures showed: the state of Zacatecas registered 1,050 in 2021, about 200 more than the previous year.