The early-morning shootout in the city's Insurgentes neighborhood was one of the worst in recent violent history of the border city that has long been a hotbed of narcotics smuggling.

KPBS radio in neighboring San Diego reported from Tijuana that authorities had thrown up heavy security around the city's general hospital and morgue as bullet-riddled bodies were brought in. Some of the casualties were recovered from other areas of the city after they had been carried away from the scene by the survivors. The disappearance of bodies has made it difficult for police to confirm the death toll, but it is estimated at between 12 and 15.

Insurgentes is not an area normally visited by U.S. tourists.

Tijuana's smugglers have been locked in a power struggle in recent months since the crackdown on the once-dominant Arellano Felix organization