Gunmen killed five people during an attack in central Mexico, sparking a manhunt that left one suspect dead and three under arrest, authorities said.

The assailants opened fire at a home in the city of Celaya in Guanajuato state during a vigil for a 19-year-old man killed in an earlier attack at the same location.

Police tracked down the suspects and a gun battle broke out in which one of the alleged attackers died, according to a statement from the local government.

Guanajuato has been shaken by intensifying violence linked to a turf war between rival cartels Jalisco New Generation and Santa Rosa de Lima.

In July, heavily armed men stormed a drug rehabilitation centre in the city of Irapuato and killed 27 people. 

Guanajuato's network of energy pipelines and its refinery have attracted gangs battling for control of trade in stolen fuel.

Last month the government announced the capture of Santa Rosa de Lima leader Jose Antonio Yepez, also known as "El Marro."

Mexico has been hit by a wave of violence since the government deployed the military to fight the drug cartels in 2006.

Around 293,000 people have since been murdered, according to official figures that do not specify how many of the cases are linked to organized crime.