Seven farmers shot dead in western Mexico

MEXICO CITY, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Police found the bodies of seven murdered men outside an avocado plantation on Thursday in the town of Salvador Escalante in the western state of Michoacan, the state government announced.

The Michoacan prosecutor-general's office said the bodies were found next to a path connecting Salvador Escalante with the neighboring town of Ario de Rosales.

Photos published by local media show the seven bodies face down on the side of the road. The victims have not been identified by the police at this time but investigators believe they were local farmers.

Michoacan has long been known as one of Mexico's more violent states with a number of violent criminal gangs fighting for control of local drug trade.