In recent days, the bodies of 31 people have been found in several clandestine graves in Chiapas, a southeastern state in Mexico.
The region has long been plagued by violence linked to organized crime, local authorities say.
“As of Monday, we have discovered a total of 25 clandestine graves containing 31 bodies: 29 men and two women,” Chiapas state attorney Jorge Luis Llaven said in a press release. On Saturday, the Chiapas government said 15 bodies had been found in Frailesca, a rural area near Guatemala where criminal gangs have paralyzed life for three years. Two more bodies were found on Sunday, and 14 others on Monday.
Llaven adds that the investigation will continue “until all the bodies of missing persons are recovered.” Authorities also report the arrest of a man who may be involved in several “enforced disappearances.”
According to local media, several rival gangs are contesting control of the drug routes, using extortion and kidnapping. After two decades of drug violence, Mexico is seeing an increase in the number of clandestine graves. Some graves contain more than a hundred bodies. The graves are spread across the country.
On Thursday, the state prosecutor’s office of Chihuahua (North), a state bordering the United States, announced that 12 bodies were found in several clandestine graves. Since authorities launched an anti-drug campaign in 2006, more than 450,000 people have been murdered, and tens of thousands more have been reported missing in Mexico, according to official figures.