National day celebrations have been cancelled and schools shut after 12 people died during days of violence blamed on a Sinaloa drug cartel turf war.

Violence erupted on Monday as tensions grow between the two most powerful factions of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

It comes after trafficker and leader of the Los Mayos faction, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, was arrested in the US.

The cartel leader, believed to be in his mid-70s, claimed a senior member of the Los Chapitos, another faction of the cartel, kidnapped him and then flew him across the border against his will.

Governor Ruben Rocha Moya announced the measures saying he was concerned about the security of children and young people.

“We need to continue to look after them,” he said.

Transport in Culiacan – the state capital – has been operating at reduced capacity with many residents sheltering in their homes and avoiding travelling to work.

Mexico’s federal government has poured more than 500 special soldiers into the state since Zambada’s arrest.

Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the military was trying to maintain order, adding that authorities “have to try to ensure that the population is not affected and that they don’t fight each other”.