Three people have been killed in a shoot-out between the security forces and gunmen in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco

Officials say that police and soldiers surprised a gang as they were setting fire to a shopping center. In the two-hour gun battle which followed, a soldier and two of the gunmen were killed. Acapulco, a popular holiday destination, has seen a marked increase in violence in 2011. A cinema, a supermarket and a number of shops burned to the ground. Police said that four people were injured in the attack and seven gang members arrested. Acapulco is in an area of Mexico where the drug trade is controlled by La Familia Michoacana, one of the country's most violent cartels.