5 shot dead on a street in village in southern Mexico state

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Five men were shot to death Tuesday in a mountain hamlet in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca.

State prosecutors said that the killings occurred in the village of Santiago Amoltepec and that one other person was wounded.

Prosecutors said the shootings happened on a street in the village, but gave no further details.

Local media said that the deaths might be linked to a political dispute and that the sons of an ex-mayor were among the dead.

The largely impoverished rural areas of Oaxaca have been plagued by violent land and political disputes for decades.

Gov. Salomón Jara wrote in his social media accounts that he regretted the deaths and ordered police and prosecutors to investigate the killings.