Gunmen attacked a group of amateur rally drivers in the northern Mexican town of Ensenada on Sunday, killing at least 10 and injuring nine.

The attack "left nine wounded and 10 people dead," Ensenada authorities said in a statement.

Authorities said the drivers participating in the race were parked on the side of a highway when a group of men got out of a pickup truck and opened fire. The motive behind the shooting is unknown.

The prosecutor's office in Baja California, where Ensenada is located, said a special team will be established to investigate the incident.

The injured people received medical attention and were taken to hospitals within the Ensenada municipality.

Ensenada has a population of 440,000 and is located near the US border.

Baja California faces gun violence crisis

Baja California is among the Mexican states with the highest number of homicides, with the government largely attributing these acts of violence to clashes between organized criminal gangs.

Official data indicates that between January and April this year, a total of 721 murders took place in the region.

During the same time, Baja California, along with five other states, accounted for nearly half of the country's recorded 9,912 homicides.

Since 2006, when the government initiated a controversial anti-drug campaign with support from the United States and the Mexican armed forces, Mexico has experienced widespread violence resulting in almost 400,000 fatalities and the disappearance of tens of thousands of individuals.

tg/wd (AFP, Reuters)