13 killed in criminal raid in Mexico

MEXICO CITY - A criminal attack on two families in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca killed 13 people including five police officers, the authorities said Wednesday.

Police were investigating the attack, which took place late Tuesday in the village of Vicente Camalote, in a remote, mountainous area of Oaxaca.

Nicolas Villalva Arguello, mayor of the town of Acatlan de Perez Figueroa, about 400 km north of state capital Oaxaca, said the killing was perpetrated by armed men who arrived in the area in several vehicles.

The eight civilians killed, including several minors, belonged to two families who were active in trade. Villalva Arguello noted that the police officers died when they clashed with the group of attackers.

There were no immediate details of possible motives for the killings.