Mexican police found 19 bodies – many of them burned and shot – in a remote area near the U.S. border, known for the violence of drug trafficking.
Authorities said the bodies were found in an uninhabited region of Tamaulipas, about 40 miles south of the city of Rio Grande, Texas.
In responding to a report about a burning vehicle on Friday, authorities discovered the bodies inside and at the back of a burned-out truck.
A second charred vehicle was found at the scene.
“Preliminary investigations point to the fact that the cause of death was gunfire and that the bodies were set on fire,” said a statement from prosecutors.
“One of the lines of investigation is that the events could have happened elsewhere than the discovery.”
No bullet cartridges were found at the scene.
The area is known for “constant fighting between rival criminal groups that traffic drugs, weapons and migrants,” an anonymous source close to the investigation told Reuters.
Wired Poles