Mexico's army says that three of its soldiers have been killed and three more wounded in an ambush in the southern state of Guerrero.

In a statement, the army says the attack occurred in the township of Coyuca de Catalan when soldiers responded to an anonymous report about armed men in the area.

Also Tuesday, state authorities found the body of the same township's mayor between Coyuca de Catalan and Ciudad Altamirano. He had had taken leave to run for the state legislature. There was no initial indication that the incidents were connected.

The area near the border with Michoacan state has long been one of Mexico's most violent due to the opium poppy growing operations and the drug gangs that operate there.