Eight people were reportedly killed in a shooting on the southern edge of Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Eight people were reportedly killed in a mass shooting south of Mexico City.

Local and state officials confirmed Sunday that the attack occurred and that there were some deaths, but did not provide an exact number of casualties. Local media reported that eight people died.

The government of Morelos state, which borders Mexico City, said the attack occurred late Saturday in Huitzilac.

The forested mountain community has been plagued by illegal loggers, kidnappers and drug gangs, in part because it is the closest rural hideout to the capital.

The city’s mayor, Rafael Vargas, called the attack “a terrible act of violence” and said “several people” were killed.

“Several people were attacked and killed in the middle of the city,” Vargas said. Apparently aware of the city’s bad reputation, Vargas said: “The violence should stop. We will denounce all kinds of slander aimed at harming our people.”