Sixteen people were killed in a gang clash on Thursday in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, authorities said.

A group of armed men entered the municipality of Tecpan de Galeana around 4:00 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) in multiple vehicles, attempting to take control of the town and triggering the confrontation, according to residents' posts shared on social media.

Local police were caught up in the attack later with two officers killed and four others injured, Mexico's defense ministry said in a statement.

Fourteen members of the crime groups were presumably killed and 11 others arrested.