Most of the 35 people whose bodies were dumped beneath a busy overpass in eastern Mexico have been identified and had criminal records, a top official says.
Nearly 95 per cent of the bodies dumped in broad daylight beneath a busy overpass in Boca del Rio city on Tuesday have been identified, Veracruz state Attorney-General Reynaldo Escobar told local television. Boca del Rio is part of the metropolitan area of Veracruz city, a major port.
"Almost all had criminal histories linked to organised crime like kidnapping, extortion, murder, drug trafficking (or) car theft," he added.
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The victims, 23 men and 12 women, according to a legal official, included at least two minors and two with no criminal records who had been reported missing, Escobar said.
Most had been suffocated, some were strangled and one had been shot.
The discovery was among the most gruesome incidents of suspected drug violence around Veracruz city and the eponymous state in
recent months.
Mexican media said a message lying near the bodies carried threats to the Zetas drug gang, which has been fighting for control of drug and human trafficking routes in the area.
Escobar declined to comment further, but a top Interior Ministry official said on Tuesday that the killings were probably sparked by a revenge attack between criminal gangs.
The Zetas, a gang set up by ex-elite soldiers turned hired killers, are suspected of organising prison escapes to recruit gunmen for their battles against rival gangs and the Mexican military.
