19 killed in clash between drug gangs in northern Mexico

A big shootout between rival drug gangs killed 19 people in the northern Mexico border state of Chihuahua, state prosecutors' office said Saturday.

A total of 18 corpses, two grenades, vehicles and guns were found at the scene of the clash in the hamlet of Chuchuichupa the township of Madera.

Two other men were found armed and wounded on the dirt road where the confrontation occurred late Friday. One died later at a hospital, and the other is in custody.

The office said police and soldiers had been sent to secure the area, where groups allied with the Sinaloa cartel have been fighting other gangs, including a remnant of the Beltran Leyva gang and others aligned with the Juarez cartel.

In an area about 60 miles (100 kilometers) to the north of Friday's clash, nine U.S.-Mexican dual citizens were ambushed and slain November 4 by suspected drug gang assassins along a remote road.

It was not clear if any of the same groups were involved in the two sets of killings.