More bodies found in clandestine graves in Mexico

Mexico City, Feb 13 (IANS/EFE) Nine additional bodies were found in two clandestine graves in the Mexican town of Taxco, bringing to 21 the number of victims discovered at the site, the Guerrero state attorney general's office said.

An anonymous phone call Saturday night led authorities to the graves, Attorney General Iñaki Blanco told a press conference.

He said the excavation work was continuing at the site, located near the community of Mexcaltepec, and did not rule out the possibility of finding more human remains.

"There are now 21 skeletons. There's a person with a municipal police uniform," Blanco said.

Forensic experts have been brought in to determine how long the bodies had been buried prior to discovery, the victims' gender and, insofar as possible, the cause of death, he added.

DNA samples also were gathered for inclusion in a victims' database.

During the same press conference, Blanco hailed his office's results in combating the crime of kidnapping.

Last year, 233 suspects were arrested, up 294 percent from 2012, a total of 38 kidnapping gangs were dismantled, and 139 victims were rescued alive, he said.

A total of 45 kidnapping suspects have been arrested, eight gangs dedicated to that crime have been dismantled and eight victims have been rescued thus far in 2014, Blanco said.

--IANS/EFE

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