3 inmates killed in northern Mexico prison

MEXICO CITY – Mexican authorities say three inmates accused of drug trafficking have been killed in a prison in northern Mexico.

Durango state prosecutors say in a statement the inmates died in a fight Saturday inside the state prison in the city of Gomez Palacio.

Prosecutors say one of the inmates was from the border city of Ciudad Acuna and the other two from the city of Torreon. They were accused of illegal weapon possession, organized crime and drug trafficking.

Authorities say the men had been detained by soldiers on Friday.

The Zetas and the Sinaloa drug cartels are fighting each other over control of smuggling routes in the Laguna region, which includes the cities of Gomez Palacio and Lerdo in Durango state and Torreon in neighboring Coahuila.