Violent day ends with 19 people dead in Reynosa, Tamaulipas

(CNN Spanish) – At least 19 people died this Saturday in different parts of the Mexican city of Reynosa, in Tamaulipas, most of them as a result of attacks carried out by armed men aboard several vehicles, reported the State Coordination Group for the Construction of Peace, that coordinates the security forces in the area.

According to a statement from the Group, 14 people lost their lives during attacks with firearms in three towns and one more during an attack on police elements in the vicinity of the Pharr border bridge, which connects Mexico with the United States.

No injuries were reported in these incidents.

After the attacks, an operation made up of elements of the Army, the National Guard, the State Police and the Prosecutor’s Office was deployed. During a patrol, “several subjects and vehicles who participated in the homicides” were detected, the Coordination Group said in another statement also issued on Saturday, without specifying how they had been identified.

“Upon being located, the individuals resisted and attacked police personnel who repelled the attack. 4 of the armed civilians died, “he added.

During the surveillance work, a person was also arrested who “was carrying two women in the trunk of a car and three vans were secured, as well as a long gun,” the Group said in one of the statements.

It is unknown whether this arrest is related to the armed attacks. Calls and messages sent since Saturday by CNN to the Attorney General’s Office and the Tamaulipas Public Security Secretariat had not been answered this Sunday.

At the moment, the motive for the attacks is unknown. The group said in the communiqués that “investigations were initiated to establish the causes of the homicides and locate those responsible.”

Fidel Gutiérrez contributed to this report.