A mayor in Mexico’s western state of Michoacan was shot dead in a plaza in front of dozens of people who had gathered for Day of the Dead festivities, authorities said.

Local politicians in Mexico are frequently victims of political and organised crime violence.

The mayor of the Uruapan municipality, Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, was gunned down on Saturday night in the town’s historic centre. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died, according to state prosecutor Carlos Torres Pina.

A city council member and a bodyguard were also injured in the attack.

The attacker was killed at the scene, Federal Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch told journalists on Sunday.

The attack on the mayor was carried out by an unidentified man who shot him seven times, Garcia Harfuch said. The weapon was linked to two armed clashes between rival criminal groups operating in the region, he added.