El Chapo Escape Update: Mexican Drug Lord Joaquin Guzman Narrowly Evades Capture, Injures Leg And Face

UPDATED 7:30 p.m. EDT:

Mexico has issued arrest warrants for 23 former officials, guards or police officers for allegedly participating in the escape of Mexico's top drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Ten civilians are also being held under house arrest, according to the Washington Post.

A federal official said Saturday that it is believed that Guzman was flown to a mountainous area of his home state of Sinaloa. A manhunt is focusing on that area and on the neighboring state of Durango, according to the official, who asked not to be identified.

Original story:

Mexico's top drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, suffered face and leg injuries as he narrowly evaded security forces searching for him in the northwestern part of the country, the government said late Friday. Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa Cartel and one of the world's biggest drug kingpins, made his second infamous escape from prison in July.

Mexico’s Security Cabinet reportedly said efforts to recapture Guzman have been continuing since his escape from a maximum-security facility through a one-mile tunnel. The Mexican government said Friday that they have been working with international agencies to capture Guzman and in recent weeks authorities have been looking for him in the northwestern part of the country -- close to the fugitive’s native Sinaloa state.

"As a result of these actions, and to avoid his capture, in recent days, the fugitive engaged in a hasty retreat, which, according to the information received, caused him injuries to one leg and the face," the government said in a statement, according to Reuters. "It's important to clarify that these injuries were not a product of a direct clash."

No other details about the operation were revealed by authorities.

Guzman was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and spent nearly a decade in another Mexican prison before escaping in 2001. He had been on the run until authorities arrested him again in February 2014. About 20 people have been arrested for possible links to Guzman's 2015 jailbreak.