Church officials are investigating after a statue of the Virgin Mary apparently begun crying tears of blood.

The bizarre incident has sparked chaos in Mexico, where the statue shows Mary in her guise as Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of five visions of her said to have been revealed to a peasant called Juan Diego and his uncle Juan Bernardino in the 1500s.

Startled owners, a family in Morelia, in the town of Obrera, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, contacted Catholic officials when it apparently started to shed dark red tears from its eyes on June 2 – the exact location of the statue has not been made public yet, presumably to protect the safety of the family involved.

However, photographs of the statue appear to show it with dark streaks running down its cheeks as if it had been crying blood.

The sign is believed to be a divine message by believers of the original apparitions, but often undergo extensive investigations, as local church officials have now urged worshippers not to get carried away.

The Archdiocese of Morelia said in a statement: “It is necessary to highlight the need for caution when approaching an issue as delicate as that of an alleged miracle.

“They added: “The Archdiocese of Morelia is taking the necessary measures to investigate the situation in a deep and exhaustive manner. Therefore, it is too early to issue a definitive position on the matter.