Mexican officials exhume 12 bodies in two clandestine pits

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Authorities have dug up 12 bodies in two clandestine graves in Mexico’s southwestern Guerrero state, a region plagued by drug violence, authorities said Monday.

State prosecutor Inaki Blanco told AFP that forensic investigators exhumed the remains on Sunday in two villages near Taxco, a colonial city known for its silver.

Authorities are still digging to check whether any other bodies were buried in the area.

The identities of those found are unknown, and authorities are investigating how long ago they were buried. The graves were found by soldiers late Saturday.

Authorities have regularly found bodies in mass graves across Mexico in recent years, often linked to drug cartel wars or violence against migrants on their way to the United States.

In June 2010, 55 bodies were found in a mass grave next to a mine in Taxco.

More recently, 63 bodies were exhumed from pits in the western state of Jalisco late last year.