Mass grave found in Mexican field

The remains of more than 600 corpses have been unearthed in a field in northern Mexico.

Forensic medical personnel recover a corpse from a mass grave discovered earlier this year at the cemetry of Tetelcingo, Morelos, Mexico on May 25, 2016. Source: AFP

The remains of more than 600 corpses have been unearthed in a field in northern Mexico, says a group representing the relatives of missing persons.

Bones, teeth, pieces of clothing and shoes were discovered in the 16-hectare paddock in San Pedro, west of the Coahuila state capital of Saltillo, according to Grupo VIDA.

The organisation's president Silvia Ortiz said on Saturday the remains had been handed over to authorities to be identified.

The ranches of San Pedro were the preferred mass killing sites for criminal groups active in the area years ago, when Torreon municipality was listed as one of the most violent cities in the world.

According to official data, almost 2000 people from the area have been missing since that time, mostly as a result of violence between drug cartels.

Members of the office for the Attorney-General of Mexico and its forensics branch were involved in gathering the remains, alongside the National Human Rights Commission.

Hours before the remains were discovered, officials said that since April last year more than 3500 body parts had been found in the ranch land.

The process of identification has been complicated owing to the deterioration of the bodies, some of which were set on fire up to eight years ago as perpetrators attempted to erase the traces of their violent acts.