Gunmen have killed the female mayor of a town in Mexico just hours after the country celebrated the election of Claudia Sheinbaum as the nation’s first woman president.

Yolanda Sánchez was shot in the town of Cotija, which she had governed since September 2021.

She was the first woman to be elected to the post.

Widespread violence against politicians has overshadowed Mexico’s general election, which saw two women run for the presidency.

Yolanda Sánchez was ambushed by gunmen in the centre of Cotija, Michoacán, on Monday.

Local media say she was shot 19 times and died in hospital shortly after the attack. Her bodyguard was also killed in the gun battle.