Schools close, buses burned in Mexico after El Mencho's killing and cartel attacks

Record ID: 2344144

  • Title: Schools close, buses burned in Mexico after El Mencho's killing and cartel attacks
  • Date: 23rd February 2026
  • Summary: JUCHITAN, OAXACA, MEXICO (FEBRUARY 23, 2026) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BURNED SCHOOL BUS OUTSIDE SCHOOL VARIOUS OF CLOSED SCHOOLS POLICE TRUCK DRIVING, PATROLLING AREA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUCHITAN RESIDENT, ANTONIO LUIS DE LA CRUZ, SAYING:  "Well, I came here on an errand, but it's closed. I don't know what's going to happen to all the people today, the people who come to sel
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Cartel attacks El Mencho Mexico Oaxaca Violence drug lord
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, MEXICO
  • City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,South America / Central America,North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA001791423022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A school bus lay charred outside a school in Juchitan, Oaxaca, on Monday (February 23) as soldiers and security forces inspected the area after coordinated cartel attacks that authorities said left at least 14 vehicles burned across four municipalities in the state.
    Local officials linked the violence to armed cells of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), following the capture and death on Sunday (February 22) of the group's leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho."
    Schools remained closed, and streets were largely empty after authorities suspended classes across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region in response to the attacks.
    Resident Antonio Luis de la Cruz said he arrived to find businesses shuttered, and voiced concern for vendors who travel to the area to sell their products.
    Oaxaca state prosecutor Bernardo Rodriguez Alamilla vowed to bring those responsible to justice, warning that actions challenging the state would not be tolerated by authorities or security agencies.
    Federal and state security forces later deployed convoys and patrols to secure roads and inspect the burned-out vehicles, arriving more than six hours after the first attacks, authorities said.
    (Production: Jose Cortes, Paola Garcia, Alicia Fernandez, Hugo Monnet)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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