Shootout between warring cartels leaves 16 dead in southern Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A shootout between two battling criminal groups in Mexico's southern Pacific state of Guerrero on Thursday left 16 people dead, authorities said, as the country has been hit by a wave of recent violence.

Around 5 a.m. on Thursday morning, warring cartels were facing off in the state's rural, mountainous region, which has become a battleground in past years as groups work to expand their territory.