MEXICO CITY, June 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Rival gangs clashed in a prison in a northwestern Mexican state that is home to a powerful drug cartel, leaving seven inmates dead, officials said Sunday.

The fighting broke out overnight Saturday into Sunday in a prison in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state. The prison houses many inmates from the cartel of the same name.

An internecine war between the rival factions has left more than 1,000 people dead since 2024.

The Sinaloa state security ministry said the riot was brought under control but family visits have been suspended.

The rival factions are loyal to one or the other of the cartel's two co-founders: Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. Both are imprisoned in the United States.

Authorities did not say what they think caused the burst of violence.

After the riot, state and federal police began an exhaustive search of the prison, the ministry said.

Mexican prisons are famously overcrowded and often see fighting between rival gangs.