Mexican authorities say seven inmates have escaped from a prison in the city of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas.
The government of Tamaulipas state says in a statement the prisoners escaped before dawn Wednesday and guards noticed the jailbreak when they did morning roll call.
Tamaulipas authorities say six of the inmates had been sentenced to prison for federal crimes and one for state crimes, without specifying the charges. Federal crimes include drug trafficking and weapons possession. A common state crime is homicide.
Tamaulipas has been wracked by a bloody fight over turf between the formerly allied Zetas and Gulf drug cartels.
Six inmates were killed in the same prison Sunday. Three inmates acknowledged stabbing the victims to death with makeshift knives.
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