MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas – A shootout between Gulf Cartel gunmen and Mexican military forces sparked fear among residents in this border city who were forced to seek cover during the clash.

The shootout took place this week in the western part of Matamoros along March 12th Avenue. According to preliminary information, a convoy of Mexican soldiers was patrolling the streets when they came across a convoy of Gulf Cartel gunmen. In an attempt to escape from authorities, the gunmen fired at the troops as they drove off. This resulted in a series of chases that ended with at least one crash, several arrests, and an undetermined number of dead gunmen.

Following the shootout, Tamaulipas state forensic investigators arrived at the scene to collect the bodies and document the crime scene. Authorities have not yet revealed the number of casualties. Military forces seized a white Chevrolet Tahoe, a black Tahoe, and a gray Honda SUV at the scene of the shootout.

The shootout in Matamoros comes at a time when clashes between the Gulf Cartel and their rivals with the Northeast Cartel led to 30 deaths in an area about 100 miles west of Matamoros, just south of the border with Texas, Breitbart News reported. In addition to that fighting, the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel continues to wage a fierce turf war with a rival faction in Reynosa. Despite the intensity of the gun battles, most of the fighting has been west of Matamoros in Reynosa and the surrounding municipalities. As Breitbart News has reported, some of the fightings took place just outside of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.