MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Six men were found alive with their hands cut off on Monday on the outskirts of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second biggest city, while a seventh was pronounced dead at the scene, the state attorney general’s office said.

The men were found in the Guadalajara suburb of Tlaquepaque in western Jalisco state, one of the regions most hotly contested by Mexican drug gangs.

The six men were receiving medical attention, but had not been arrested, an official with the attorney general’s office said, adding that an investigation is underway.

A local reporter published on Twitter what purported to be several photos of the grisly scene, including a note next to one of the men suggesting they were targeted by a vigilante justice outfit that calls itself Elite Anti-Bandit Group.

Reuters was not able to independently confirm the authenticity of the photos.