MEXICO CITY, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed Tuesday in a gunfight between the Mexican military and armed men in the southern state of Guerrero, authorities said.

The shootout occurred around 5 p.m. (2200 GMT) after local police received an emergency call which reported the presence of a group of armed men in the community of Tepochica in the municipality of Iguala, according to a report released by Roberto Alvarez Heredia, security spokesperson for Guerrero state.

He said the armed men started the attack first when noticing a joint patrol team of police and military officers coming to the area and then a conflict broke out.

The gun battle resulted in the deaths of one soldier and 14 armed men, he added.

According to the report, high-power weapons and three vehicles were recovered at the scene after the shooting.

The incident took place just one day after armed assailants killed at least 13 police officers in an ambush in Aguililla, a town in west-central Michoacan state.

Guerrero is one of the states in Mexico with high rates of violence and drug trafficking activities, and more than 20 armed groups operate in the state, including community police, self-defense groups and drug cartels, according to Mexican government reports.