Mexico City - At least eight people died Tuesday in central Mexico in a shootout between alleged drug gangs, provincial authorities confirmed.

The death toll could still rise, according to some reports. The gun battle happened early Tuesday along a federal highway in the state of Durango, said Durango Governor Ismael Hernandez Deras.

At the site, in the municipality of Vicente Guerrero, some 900 kilometres north-west of Mexico City, police found the bodies and 12 abandoned cars riddled with bullet holes.

Following the shootout, authorities launched a major security operation. Several military checkpoints were set up in the area, in an effort to find those responsible. (dpa)