More than 100 killed or missing as Sinaloa Cartel war rages in Mexico

Members of the Mexican Army respond at the scene of a damaged automobile after a confrontation between armed groups, in Culiacan, Mexico September 9, 2024. REUTERS/Jesus Bustamante/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Some 53 people have been killed and 51 others are missing in Mexico's western Sinaloa state since rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel began clashing on Sept 9, local authorities said on Friday, with gruesome violence showing no signs of abating.

The trigger for the conflict between the two most powerful factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, a drug gang, dates back to July, when legendary trafficker and leader of one of those groupings, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, was arrested in the United States.