MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) — At least 71 prisoners escaped after a morning jailbreak on Friday in the Mexican city of Reynosa across the border from McAllen, Texas, local media reported.

Local authorities are currently at the spot investigating the facts. So far, there is no indication regarding the whereabouts of the inmates.

State-run Notimex newswire service said that Tamaulipas state officials scheduled a press conference for Friday afternoon to provide a detailed report on the mass jailbreak.

The massive prison break took place just three days after Antonio Garza Garcia took office as the head of the Public Security agency of Tamaulipas state.

On April 4, gunmen stormed the same prison freeing 13 inmates, and on March 26, 40 inmates escaped from a prison in the city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas.

Mexico’s north has witnessed several drug-related violent acts in recent times. On September 2, 25 drug hitmen were killed after an intense gunfight with the Mexican Army while soldiers were conducting an operation in the area.

In late August, the mayor of a town in Tamaulipas was killed in one more episode of violence in the region after several grenade attacks, three car bombings and the killing of 72 immigrants.

According to the Mexican government, the violence is a result of the continuing battle between the Gulf drug cartel and the Zetas cartel.