An attempted prison break in Northern Mexico turned bloody after 11 inmates and 6 prison guards were killed during a shootout late Tuesday. The incident occurred at the Cereta No.2 prison facility in Gomez Palacio City. Inmates were attempting to climb out of the back wall of the prison, but were soon spotted by guards, and from there all hell broke loose.

The inmates began firing shots at the guards and the custodian areas and once all the smoke had settled, 17 people were left dead. Soldiers later arrived and surrounded the prison helping prevent the attempted prison break. The authorities had regained control of the prison shortly after the soldiers arrived.

Prison breaks are not an uncommon site in Mexico as this past September over 120 inmates were able to escape from a prison near the border of Piedras Negras. Local authorities have all attributed the surge in mass prison breaks to local drug gangs trying to bolster up their ranks as they continue to engage in violent gang wars throughout the country of Mexico.

The city of Durango, where the incident took place, is where both the Zetas and Sinola drug cartels are battling for control of the city.