MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The U.S. consulate in Nuevo Laredo on Monday urged staff to stay indoors after overnight reports of gunfighting near the premises and elsewhere in the northern Mexican border city.

       On Twitter, the consulate advised its employees to "shelter in place," and urged U.S. citizens to avoid the area or stay inside in the city across the border from Laredo, Texas.

       Exchanges of gunfire rang out for hours in the city between suspected drug cartel members and authorities after the arrest of a local cartel leader, Mexican media reported.

       Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carmen Lilia Canturosas said early on Monday morning that some roads in the city were still inaccessible after videos posted on social media showed intersections throughout the town blocked by trailers set ablaze.

       Monday appointments at the consulate and the visa processing center were also canceled, the U.S. consulate said.

       (Reporting by Tomas Bravo; Writing by Dave Graham and Kylie Madry; Editing by Bill Berkrot)