At least 56 bodies found in Mexico in unmarked graves near U.S. border, local prosecutors say
At least 56 bodies have been found in unmarked mass graves in northern Mexico, not far from the U.S. border, local prosecutors said in a statement on Saturday.
The remains include some corpses, some complete skeletons and other partial remains, as well as clothing and bullet casings. They were dug up earlier this week during a multi-day military aid operation in Chihuahua state, which lies along drug and migrant trafficking routes to the United States, the statement said.
Prosecutors did not provide details about the possible identities of the victims.
Prosecutors said the remains were sent to a forensic laboratory to determine the time and cause of death in hopes of identifying the victim.
According to local media reports, the body was exhumed in an area called “El Willy,” which is controlled by a criminal organization called La Linea, one of the armed branches of the Juárez drug cartel active on the border. .
Mass graves are not uncommon across Mexico, especially in areas where cartel violence is rampant. There are more than Mexico has 345,000 people The people had been reported missing, according to the country’s national registry.
last monthMexican authorities have discovered 12 bodies in clandestine graves in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. A further 12 bodies were found in several graves about two hours’ drive from Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas.
Since Mexico launched a major offensive against drug cartels in 2006, more than 450,000 people have been murdered across the country.
one of the Mexico’s largest mass grave In 2017, more than 250 skulls were reportedly found in what appeared to be a drug cartel mass grave on the outskirts of Veracruz.
