MORELIA, Michoacán – Ten people died in one day as a result of a fierce turf war between two factions of a local cartel. Despite the raging violence, state officials remain silent.

In the most recent wave, members of one faction of Los Viagras cartel left 10 bodies who are believed to have been gunmen from a rival faction. The corpses all showed signs of torture and gunshots to the head.

The violence is tied to a faction of Los Viagras–also known as Michoacán’s New Family–fighting against the leaders of the cartel Nicolas and Rodolfo Sierra Santana. Intelligence sources revealed that that the fighting led to the discovery of another 18 bodies in the rural regions. The real number of casualties remains unclear.

The fighting began last week in Pinzandaro, one of the rural areas near the city of Apatzingan. Fighting is occuring throughout the region called Tierra Caliente, including the towns of Buena Vista and Aguililla. Currently, the Sierra Santana brothers are in hiding in the rural areas as they wait for Los Viagras’ gunmen from Guerrero and Mexico State to render aid.

Despite almost a week of constant violence, the Michoacán government has not made any public statements regarding the violence.