MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP)— Three men accused of kidnapping and robbing a girl were lynched by a crowd in central Mexico on Saturday, local authorities said.

Lynchings have increased in Mexico in recent years, with experts saying the perception of impunity leads communities to take justice into their own hands.

The trio were killed on Saturday afternoon in San Juan Amecac, 42 miles (68 kilometres) southeast of the capital Mexico City, a local government statement said.

“Three men died after being detained and lynched by residents for the alleged robbery and kidnapping of a minor,” it said.

Police rushed to the scene but the men “no longer showed vital signs” by the time they arrived, it added.

Some 300 people participated in the lynching — hanging and beating the men until they were dead, according to local media.

The uptick in vigilantism is taking place amidst a broader increase in violence in Mexico since 2006, fuelled by drug trafficking.

In June, four men were lynched and then burned in the nearby city of Atlixco by a crowd that accused them of stealing a vehicle.

In March, residents of the southern city of Taxco lynched a man they accused of murdering an eight-year-old girl.