MEXICO CITY: An attack by a criminal gang on a police convoy in central Mexico left at least 13 people dead on Thursday, the authorities said.

The patrol was ambushed in the municipality of Coatepec Harinas in the State of Mexico while carrying out operations against armed groups present in the area.

The victims included police officers and agents from the district attorney's office, the state's security ministry and prosecutors said, without blaming a specific criminal gang.

Security forces launched a search for the perpetrators of what the authorities denounced as a "cowardly" attack.

The State of Mexico, which neighbors the capital, is considered to be among the most violent in the country due to the presence of various criminal gangs.

More than 300,000 people have been murdered since the government deployed the army to fight the cartels in 2006.