Several reportedly dead in Reynosa violence

REYNOSA — At least six people are reportedly dead after several vehicles exploded during an apparent shootout Tuesday evening.

Gunfire and explosions erupted about 5 p.m. Tuesday along the highway between Monterrey and Reynosa on the latter city’s far west side, near the Anzalduas International Bridge, sources said.

Two Mexican army soldiers were apparently slain in the battle, and four suspected drug cartel members were burned to death inside an SUV. A woman was also reportedly shot and rushed to an area hospital for surgery, a source said.

The apparent explosions along the Reynosa-Monterrey highway shut down the thoroughfare for about three hours Tuesday evening.

Reynosa city officials reported widespread congestion along the highway.

City officials provided no official confirmation of the widespread violence. However, they did confirm widespread blockades across Reynosa and “situations of risk” in the Villa Florida and Granjas Economicas del Norte neighborhoods, near many of the city’s maquiladora factories on the west side of the city.

“Situations of risk” typically refer to shootouts between armed groups and possibly the military.

Random shootouts and street battles have enveloped Reynosa and many other cities in Tamaulipas state, across the Rio Grande from South Texas.

Much of the fighting has stemmed from an ongoing struggle between the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas. The formerly allied criminal organizations split early this year as each sought to dominate lucrative narcotics smuggling routes into the United States.

More than 28,000 people have been killed in suspected drug violence across Mexico since late 2006.