MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican prosecutors are investigating the discovery of a burned-out vehicle containing the charred bodies of 10 people in the southwestern state of Guerrero, authorities said late on Friday.

Police made the grisly discovery on a country road in the municipality of Chilapa de Alvarez after locals saw the vehicle on fire and alerted authorities, state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said in a statement published on Facebook.

It is not clear what caused the fire. According to media reports, the victims were men and youths from a musical group who were attacked by suspected gunmen from a local drug cartel.

The attorney general’s office of Guerrero did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

One of Mexico’s poorest states, Guerrero has long been one of the most violent regions of the country, which was on track to register a record number of homicides last year. Chilapa de Alvarez is a notoriously violent area of Guerrero.