A violent confrontation between rival factions of a Mexican drug cartel erupted along the southern border this week as the groups exchanged heavy gunfire in a region notorious for drug and illegal immigrant smuggling.

The clash unfolded Wednesday in Rio Bravo, a town in Tamaulipas, Mexico, situated less than a mile from the Rio Grande, just across from Donna, Texas, according to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Lt. Christopher Olivarez, who spoke to Fox News Digital. The warring factions were identified as the “Scorpions” and the “Metros,” both subgroups of the Gulf Cartel, Olivarez explained.

Un dron equipado con visión nocturna y térmica del Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas captó un enfrentamiento en Río Bravo, Tamaulipas entre Metros y Escorpiones del CDG, que pelean ruta fronteriza de droga y migrantes frente a Donna, #Texas pic.twitter.com/QBLAdfL4fz pic.twitter.com/uLBcb2EAiE

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“They don’t use typical firearms or rifles. They’re using military-type weapons,” Olivarez said. “If someone is close by that (Rio Grande) river, there’s a high probability they could get hit. It’s probably one of the most dangerous areas along the border.”

Footage of the incident captured by DPS surveillance aircraft includes video of an apparent explosive device being thrown from a vehicle and another clip showing gunfire being discharged near a truck.

Though gun battles have occurred in the area previously, authorities were previously unable to capture footage of them, Olivarez added. Control over smuggling routes along the border has led to persistent conflict among Gulf Cartel factions, with intense fighting for dominance in the region.

“There’s always been cartels. There’s always been gun battles,” Olivarez noted. “It’s increasingly more intense now because you have cartels that are fighting each other because they want control.”