Mexican authorities say six employees of the Attorney General s Office have been killed in the crash of a small plane, and a newspaper says an auditors report indicated months ago that the aircraft fleet for prosecutors was in bad shape.

Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam says the cause of the crash Tuesday in northern Zacatecas state is being investigated.
The officials had flown to Zacatecas to serve an arrest warrant on members of the Zetas drug cartel. Murillo Karam says their small, twin-engine propeller plane was about 28 years old.

The newspaper El Universal said Wednesday that an auditors report issued in October found serious problems with maintenance and airworthiness in the prosecutors fleet of aircraft.