PHOENIX, May 8 (Reuters) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ordered more state police to the Mexico border on Wednesday in response to spiraling drug violence on the Mexican side, his office said.

The state troopers are being deployed in and around the town of Columbus, north of Palomas in Mexico, his office said in a news release. It was not immediately clear how many police were being dispatched.

Six people have been murdered in Palomas in the past two weeks, and some of the perpetrators have fled to Columbus for medical attention, the office said.

"The violence is escalating and I want to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep New Mexicans in this community safe," said Richardson, a Democrat who is running for president.

Mexican drug cartels are battling for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes the length of the 2,000-mile (3,200-km) U.S.-Mexico border in a bloody turf war that has claimed nearly 800 lives in Mexico this year.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent thousands of troops and federal police to tackle the gangs in recent weeks, but has failed to contain the violence, including a recent wave of attacks on troops and police officers.

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