17 bodies found in abandoned house in Mexico’s most violent state
According to a statement released by the state prosecutor's office late Monday, the bodies were found last week with the help of cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar. Investigators were acting on reports of missing persons in the area.
Seventeen bodies have been discovered in an abandoned house in Irapuato, Guanajuato, a central region in Mexico known for ongoing criminal violence, authorities said.
According to a statement released by the state prosecutor's office late Monday, the bodies were found last week with the help of cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar. Investigators were acting on reports of missing persons in the area.
The statement said that five of the victims have already been identified as missing persons.
Guanajuato, despite being a major industrial centre and home to several popular tourist spots, has become the deadliest state in Mexico. Official homicide figures show the state recorded over 3,000 killings last year.
Much of the violence in the region has been linked to a turf war between two powerful criminal groups — the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
Criminal violence, mostly connected to drug trafficking, has taken around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006. Over 120,000 people remain missing.
