Gun battle kills 29 suspected cartel members in Mexico

A shootout between warring drug cartels claimed 29 lives and left four injured in the western part of the country, Nayarit state security officials confirmed on Thursday.

The shootout occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit along the highway connecting Guadalajara with Mazatlan. Local media reported the shootout was provoked by an abduction earlier in the day.

Two of the injured victims were identified as not being involved in criminal activities, state officials said. Soldiers responding to the incident found weapons, grenades, military-style uniforms and two bulletproof vehicles, media reported.

State attorney general Oscar Herrera told a Mexico City radio station on Thursday that members of the rivals Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas were involved in the gun battle.

The incident in Nayarit state was just one of several violent events occurred this week in Mexico, where a government crackdown on drug cartels and organized crime has claimed more than 35,000 lives over the past four and a half years.

In the state of Michoacan, to the south of Nayarit, state officials said that eight villages were evacuated due to shootouts between rival drug cartels.

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