Dozens of gunmen have kidnapped at least six people after storming a Holiday Inn hotel in Mexico.
Police said the heavily-armed gang ran from room to room before abducting a receptionist and four guests in the northern city of Monterrey, the country's third-largest city.
The U.S. consulate in Monterrey has denied media reports that an American woman was among the kidnapped.
Nuevo Leon state attorney general Alejandro Garza y Garza said the violence was probably caused by rivalry between drug gangs in the state following a feud between the Gulf cartel and its former ally the Zetas cartel.
Local newspapers said the gunmen hijacked several trucks and used them to block neighboring roads to stop police chasing them.
More than 22,700 people have so far died in drug violence since Mexican president Felipe Calderon launched a military crackdown on organized crime after taking office four years ago.
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