19 killed in clashes near Mexican beach city

Mexican authorities said on Saturday that at least 19 people died in clashes involving armed men and security forces in the gang-plagued northwestern state of Sinaloa, where homicides have spiked dramatically following the capture and extradition of convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

The violence began with a shooting on Friday that killed two men near a department store in the town of Villa Union, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of the beach resort of Mazatlan.