Violent conflicts between armed gangs in Mexico left at least 28 dead and four injured, the Public Safety Secretariat of Mexico reported.

The unprecedented events in the Mexican Pacific coastal area occurred on federal highway No. 15 between Tepic and Villa Union, where local rival gangs fought with high-powered weapons in at least five vehicles.

Gang Fighting spreads in Mexico

Schools and businesses closed in the nearby city of Ruiz as panic led residents to stay home. Bloody fighting related to organized crime also took place in the state of Michoacan in the last 48 hours, prompting residents to flee and take shelter in schools and the homes of relatives.

The city council in the Michoacan town of Buenavista Tomatlan expected some 2,500 people to be housed in shelters set up in the city, near Apatzingan, after fleeing from their villages on Wednesday due to spreading gang war in Mexico between rival armed gangs, Mexican newspapers reported.

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