Mexico City, Mar 28 (AP) Nineteen people were killed when gunmen burst into a clandestine rooster fight in western Mexico, prosecutors in the western state of Michoacan said Monday.

The attack occurred late Sunday near the town of Zinapecuaro, Michoacan.

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The dead include 16 men and three women, and a number of people were wounded in the attack.

The office said that drug cartels and gangs had been fighting in the area.

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Michoacan has been the scene of a longstanding turf battle between local cartels and the Jalisco cartel, from the neighbouring state of Jalisco.

The fighting has included the use of bomb-dropping drones, landmines and home-made armoured cars.

Cockfighting, while illegal in many areas, remains a popular pastime in parts of Mexico, though the fights between roosters are usually held clandestinely. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)