In Mexico, a shootout has claimed at least seven lives as authorities look for 30 prisoners who staged a bloody prison break on Sunday.
At least two state investigators were killed when gunmen opened fire on them as they searched for the fugitives.
Although it is still unclear if any of the escapees were among those killed, five gunmen also perished in the shoot-out.
The Sinaloa cartel is suspected of being behind the violence, along with the Los Mexicles gang.
Sunday’s prison break in Ciudad Juárez was one of the deadliest in recent times, leaving 10 guards and seven inmates dead.
Suspected members of Los Mexicles took advantage of the busy visiting hours on Sunday morning as relatives flocked to the jail to wish their loved ones a happy new year.
They arrived in several armoured cars and opened fire on the guards at the entrance, according to local media.
At the same time, inmates set mattresses alight inside their cells to create confusion and distract the guards.
At first, officials said two dozen inmates had escaped, but the head of the state prison system has since announced that the number was “at least 30.”
Among those who escaped is the leader of Los Mexicles, Ernesto Piñón de la Cruz, also known as El Neto.
El Neto, 33, has been in prison for 14 years serving a sentence for kidnapping and murder. An attempt by his gang to free him during a prison transfer in 2010 failed and he was injured.
He appears to have wielded enormous power from behind bars, where he enjoyed a more luxurious life than less well-connected prisoners.
Mexico’s defence minister said 10 “VIP cells” had been “discovered” during a search of the jail.
El Neto’s cell boasted a jacuzzi, a plasma TV and a safe containing 1.7m pesos ($87,000; £73,000).
Police also found 16kg of marijuana, 4kg of crystal meth and 1.5kg of heroin, as well as several weapons.
Federal officials say the state of Chihuahua, in which the prison is located, is to blame for the lack of oversight, while Chihuahua officials say their requests to have El Neto moved to a federal institution with higher levels of security have been turned down.
Residents of Ciudad Juárez told local media they were terrified after the breakout, as El Neto is believed to have been behind a wave of killings in August 2022 known as “Black Thursday,” in which 10 people without any links to criminal gangs were killed across the city.
Police are carrying out checks at nearby airports and on main highways to try and prevent him and his fellow escapees from leaving the state.