CUERNAVACA, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — At least seven people were killed on Monday morning during a shootout between security forces and criminals in central Mexico, officials said on Tuesday. One person has been arrested.

The shooting happened at around 2:30 a.m. local time on Monday when Federal Police forces confronted a group with suspected links to local organized crime groups, state officials said. It happened in the municipality of Temixco, which is located in the central state of Morelos.

Police said the group of suspects were aboard three vehicles which were previously reported stolen. Following a shootout between security forces and the group on the Cuernavaca-Acapulco highway, authorities found three bodies in one of the vehicles and four more in a second vehicle.

An eighth person, who was driving the third vehicle, was taken into custody. He was only identified as Juan ‘N’ from Ciudad Progreso in the state of Veracruz and was reported to have suffered a gunshot wound to his foot.

Only three weeks into the new year, the state of Morelos alone has already witnessed more than 25 deaths related to organized crime. Last week, figures released by the country’s Attorney General office (PGR) showed that more than 47,000 people have been killed during the past five years as a result of organized crime in Mexico.