MEXICO CITY, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Mexican authorities have discovered 10 bodies in a mass grave in a rural part of west Michoacan state, local prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Officials searched the grave in the town of Comanja in the municipality of Coeneo, according to a statement from the state's prosecutor general's office.

The bodies found, already in a state of decomposition, will be examined by forensic experts to determine the cause of the deaths as investigators were still excavating the grave.

"We have already identified people who participated (in the crime), so soon we will bring charges before a judge," the statement said.

Located in northern Michoacan, 94 km from the state capital Morelia, Comanja is home to just 1,500 residents.  ■