Mexican marines chased fugitive drug lord El Chapo off of a cliff - and he still got away despite breaking his leg

A Mexican official told CNN that the world's most wanted drug lord, Mexican kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, broke his leg and injured his face while escaping from authorities in the mountains of Sinaloa state.

Four months after his brazen escape from a maximum-security prison, Mexican marines identified Guzmán on October 6 in Mexico's Durango state.

On that day, Guzmán was reportedly with his sons and was seen on a motorcycle and in a Ferrari, the official told CNN.

Three days later, authorities spotted the fugitive head of the Sinaloa cartel walking with a young girl in the Mexican village of Cosalá, which sits in the mountains of Guzmán's home state of Sinaloa.

Reluctant to move in on Guzmán in the presence of a child, authorities waited until the cartel boss was alone and then pursued him on foot until the drug kingpin fell off of a small cliff.

Guzmán's henchmen quickly carried him away from authorities and into the dense forest in the region, an official told CNN.

Officials believe that even though Guzmán eludes capture, the kingpin's new injuries will give authorities a much needed advantage.

"The fact that he's injured is one factor he didn't count on. ... Now he needs help," former Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Carl Pike told CNN.

Despite searching a nearly 2-mile radius, security forces were unable to track down Guzmán, according to TeleSur.

According to NBC News, Mexican security forces, with assistance from US drug officials, tracked cellphone signals that indicated Guzmán was at a ranch near the town of Cosalá.

Here's a look at the Sinaloa cartel's control of territory and reach: