At least five dismembered bodies were found Thursday in an abandoned vehicle in Guanajuato, the Mexican state at the epicenter of a deadly war between rival cartels, authorities said.
According to the state government, the dismembered bodies were found inside plastic bags, stacked one on top of the other, in the back of an abandoned vehicle. They were discovered yesterday morning by police officers in the Koupareo community, which belongs to the municipality of Salvatirea.
The bodies are estimated to be between five and seven, sources close to the ongoing investigation told AFP.
Footage broadcast by Mexican media shows a message found near the bodies claiming responsibility for the massacre on behalf of the New Generation of Jalisco (KNGX) cartel.
This gang, one of the most powerful in Mexico, is engaged in a ruthless struggle for control of territory in Guanajuato with the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang.
Guanajuato, a relatively prosperous state, an industrial center near popular tourist destinations, is the Mexican state with more murders than any other in 2023 (3,746, in other words over 12% of the national total), according to official data.