By Daniel González

Mexican authorities say they have found the bodies of seven people killed in an ambush in a desert area along the Arizona border close to the town of Sonoyta, Sonora.

Four others were wounded in the ambush, Mexican authorities said.

The ambush took place in a gap between two mountain ranges east of Sonoyta less than 1 mile from the border with Arizona, according to Mexican authorities and Mexican news reports.

Sonoyta is located across from Lukeville, Ariz., which is on the route Americans take when traveling to Puerto Peñasco, or Rocky Point, a popular beach resort town that swells with tourists during spring break and Easter.

The victims are believed to have been working for a criminal organi- zation when they were ambushed by members of another criminal gang, Mexicans authorities said.

The area is a wellknown drug-smuggling corridor controlled by the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Four of the bodies were found Wednesday inside the bed of a Chevy Silverado pickup truck, two more were found on the ground next to the pickup and another was found about 160 yards away, au- thorities said. One victim found alive was taken to the hospital.

Three of the victims had IDs that said they were from the towns of Caborca, Altar and Sinaloa. Police are still trying to identify the others, Mexican authorities said.

Mexican police began searching for the bodies on Tuesday after a man with a bullet wound was brought to a hospital in Caborca and reported that he and a group of other people had been ambushed by a group of armed men, leaving several people dead and wounded.

Local, state and federal police did not find the bodies until Wednesday, authorities said.

Police found bullet casings from AR-15 and other assault-style rifles in the area, authorities said.