MEXICO CITY — Police in a region of southern Mexico plagued by drug cartel violence They found 11 bodies, including two of minors, lying on a road, prosecutors from the state of Guerrero reported this Thursday.

The bodies were found Wednesday night after police received a tip about an abandoned truck on the main road in the city of Chilpancingo, the state capital. The city of 300,000 people has been the scene of horrific violence between drug gangs as two rival cartels fight for control of the area.

Prosecutors did not specify the ages of the two deceased minors. They said two of the 11 bodies were women. The highway where they were found is also the main route between Mexico City and the resort of Acapulco.

In early October, the city’s mayor was assassinated and beheaded just a week after taking the oath of office. Alejandro Arcos took office on October 1 and his decapitated body was found in a van a week later, with his head resting on the roof of the vehicle.

Two rival drug trafficking gangs, known as the Tlacos and the Ardillos, fight for control of the drug and extortion business in the city.

In 2023, gang violence in Chilpancingo became so brazen that one of the gangs organized a demonstration of hundreds of people, hijacked a government armored vehicle, blocked a major highway, and held police hostage to secure the release of the suspects arrested.