Americas

Americas

10 bodies found in northern Mexico

20 December 2011 04:47 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 10 bodies were found in a clandestine grave in the northern state of Durango, the state prosecutor’s office announced Monday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

It said that the grave was found on Dec. 14 during a police patrol on the outskirts of Durango, state capital with 600,000 inhabitants.

The badly decomposed bodies were taken to the forensic service for DNA tests, dental records and fingerprints to try to establish their identities and locate the perpetrators of the massacre.

The authorities said that a total of 292 bodies haven been found in 14 clandestine graves in Durango state since April 14, and most of them might be victims of conflicts between drug gangs.

The Durango state, mainly controlled by the drug cartels of Los Zetas and Sinaloa, is considered one of the most violent regions in Mexico.

More than 45,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched the "war against organized crime" in 2006.