At least eight people, including two children, died in a shooting in a region of central Mexico plagued by turf wars between rival drug cartels, authorities said Wednesday.

Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fired at homes in the municipality of Silao in Guanajuato state late Tuesday, according to the regional prosecutor's office.

A one-year-old and a 16-year-old girl were among the dead, it said.

Guanajuato has become one of Mexico's most violent states due to fighting between the Santa Rosa de Lima and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

The gangs are fighting over control of the lucrative drug trafficking and stolen fuel markets.

Two similar attacks left 11 people dead in Silao in mid-November.

Since 2006 when the government launched a controversial anti-drug military operation, Mexico has recorded more than 300,000 murders, according to official figures.