MEXICO CITY: A Mexican congressman who was a member of the ruling coalition was shot dead in coastal Veracruz state on Monday, officials said.

“Benito Aguas Atlahua has passed away as a result of wounds caused by an aggression with a firearm,” the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The body of a man identified as Agustin Linares was also found at the scene of the attack in Zongolica municipality, the statement added.

Authorities have not provided further information as to the circumstances or number of attackers.

Aguas Atlahua had been taken to hospital in serious condition after the shooting, according to an earlier report.

The legislator was a member of the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), part of the ruling coalition that controls congress, along with the Labor Party and President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Morena.

His PVEM party condemned the attack in a statement on X.

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“We urge the authorities to take appropriate action to ensure that this heinous act does not go unpunished. Security and respect must be fundamental pillars in Mexican politics,” it said.

Criminal gangs have fought over territory in Veracruz state due to its position along a transit route for drugs and undocumented migrants heading to the United States.

Mexico has suffered more than 450,000 killings since 2006, when the government called in army troops to fight the cartels.