Three Mexican journalists were shot and wounded Tuesday in the violent southern state of Guerrero as they were returning from an assignment, officials said.

The reporters had been covering a murder in the state capital of Chilpancingo when around noon they were shot at by attackers on a motorcycle, the local prosecutor's office said.

The journalists — identified as Jesus Antonio de la Cruz, Oscar Guerrero, and Victor Mateo Francisco — sustained injuries to the back, arm, and neck, according to prosecutors.

The media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the trio is in stable condition.

"RSF calls on the authorities to act quickly to ensure their protection & that of their families," RSF said on X, formerly Twitter.

The three journalists cover political and crime stories for different local media, according to the group.

The attack occurred a week after three other reporters were kidnapped and later released in the city of Taxco, also in Guerrero.

Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world to practice journalism, according to RSF.

On 16 November, photojournalist Ismael Villagomez was shot and killed in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez. Three people have been arrested over the killing.

At least five other journalists have been killed in Mexico in 2023, and more than 150 since 2000, according to RSF.