PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO - Nearly two dozen inmates escaped and one correction officer was killed after armed men stormed a prison in Puerto Vallarta, which has been under siege by cartel members since drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed in a military operation.
The attackers opened fire on the facility and busted in the Centro Integral de Justica Regional on Sunday, February 22, by crashing a vehicle through the gate, the New York Post reported. Now, 23 convicted criminals are on the loose.
The break-in sparked a riot inside the prison, complicating a security response to the escape, and a correction officer was killed in the violence. Reinforcements were sought from outside the region, but road conditions hindered their response.
By Monday, February 23, state officials said a head count revealed and confirmed that 23 men had escaped.
A manhunt is underway for the escapees. Officials said order has been restored and the prison is operating again under reinforced security as authorities investigate the incident.
The prison break comes as at least 73 people have died in widespread violence that erupted in 20 of Mexico's 32 states after the Mexican military took out El Mencho, the powerful boss of the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, on Sunday.
The deaths include 25 members of the Mexican national guard who were killed in six separate attacks.
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta, a popular Pacific beach getaway in Jalisco, were warned to stay indoors as narco groups went on a rampage, setting fires and marching through the streets with guns.
Some 10,000 Mexican soldiers have been deployed throughout the country in response. The US Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which began operating in 2009, is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organizations in Mexico.
The attackers opened fire on the facility and busted in the Centro Integral de Justica Regional on Sunday, February 22, by crashing a vehicle through the gate, the New York Post reported. Now, 23 convicted criminals are on the loose.
The break-in sparked a riot inside the prison, complicating a security response to the escape, and a correction officer was killed in the violence. Reinforcements were sought from outside the region, but road conditions hindered their response.
By Monday, February 23, state officials said a head count revealed and confirmed that 23 men had escaped.
A manhunt is underway for the escapees. Officials said order has been restored and the prison is operating again under reinforced security as authorities investigate the incident.
The prison break comes as at least 73 people have died in widespread violence that erupted in 20 of Mexico's 32 states after the Mexican military took out El Mencho, the powerful boss of the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, on Sunday.
The deaths include 25 members of the Mexican national guard who were killed in six separate attacks.
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta, a popular Pacific beach getaway in Jalisco, were warned to stay indoors as narco groups went on a rampage, setting fires and marching through the streets with guns.
Some 10,000 Mexican soldiers have been deployed throughout the country in response. The US Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which began operating in 2009, is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organizations in Mexico.
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