The bullet-ridden bodies of 18 men were discovered after what appeared to have been a gunbattle between members of rival drug cartels in northern Mexico, authorities said Friday, AP reported.

The bodies were found in a remote, rural area of the north-central state of Zacatecas, state security department spokeswoman Rocio Aguilar said.

There was evidence the deaths in the township of Valparaiso resulted from a confrontation between gunmen from the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, she said.

The state government said three vehicles, one of them burned out, were found at the scene.

The gunbattle came two days after the bodies of two abducted police officers were found hanging from an overpass in the Zacatecas state capital and seven people were discovered shot to death in a neighboring city.

Zacatecas, once dominated by the old Zetas cartel, is being fought over by a dizzying number of cartels. Those jockeying for turf in Zacatecas include the Sinaloa, Jalisco, Gulf and Northeast cartels as well as remnants of the Zetas who call themselves “Talibans.”