Mexico highway shootout leaves 10 armed men dead, 4 police injured

Security forces stand guard near a crime scene where, according to authorities, 10 members of organized crime were killed during a confrontation with state police on the Monterrey - Nuevo Laredo highway, in Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

A shootout on a northern Mexican highway left 10 suspected criminals dead and four police officers injured, authorities said late on Monday.

"Police officers managed to kill 10 heavily armed suspected criminals on the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway," an official statement said. The clash took place Monday afternoon after officers were attacked, it said.

Four police officers were injured, the statement added, though all were reported to be in stable condition.

Security forces stand guard near a crime scene where, according to authorities, 10 members of organized crime were killed during a confrontation with state police on the Monterrey - Nuevo Laredo highway, in Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

The authorities said they seized 12 large-caliber weapons, grenades, a hundred pieces of ammunition as well as three armored trucks.

The shootout comes as the country struggles with drug cartel violence and a high homicide rate.

In the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi early on Tuesday, two members of the armed forces were killed in an attack by suspected organized crime members, according to a separate statement by authorities.

Security forces stand guard near a crime scene where, according to authorities, 10 members of organized crime were killed during a confrontation with state police on the Monterrey - Nuevo Laredo highway, in Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

(Reporting by Daniel Becerril; Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Conor Humphries)