An explosion killed two Mexican soldiers in second fatal incident this week involving an improvised land mine in a a crime-ridden western stateauthorities said Wednesday.

According to El Universal newspaper, the soldiers were trying to deactivate the device when it exploded.

The explosion happened late on Tuesday in Buenavista in Michoacanthe state prosecutor's office announced.

A military source, who did not want to be named, said troops were searching for similar devices believed to have been planted in the area.

On Monday, an explosion caused by another improvised mine killed two Mexican soldiers and wounded five others in the same region. Before the explosionsoldiers found the dismembered bodies of three people, officials said.

The device is believed to have been planted by members of a local criminal group waging a turf war with a larger drug cartel, Defense Minister Ricardo Trevila said on Tuesday.

Six other soldiers have been killed by similar improvised devices since late 2018, he said.

Mexico has been plagued by widespread drug-related violence that has killed more than 450,000 people since the government deployed the army to fight the traffic in 2006, according to official figures.

In the only previous detailed report on cartel bombings in August 2023 the defense ministry said at the time that a total of 42 soldiers, police and suspects were injured by improvised explosive devices in the first seven and a half months of 2023. up from 16 in all of 2022.

Overall in 2023. 556 improvised explosive devices of all kinds were found - roadside, drone and car bombs, the army announced in news release last year.