Authorities in northern Mexico have found 45 bags containing human remains in a gorge on the outskirts of the city of Guadalajara and are trying to determine how many bodies are there.
The bags found at a forest overlook contained remains of men and women, the state prosecutor's office in the western state of Jalisco said in a statement. Firefighters and civil defense worked with a helicopter to recover the remains from the gorge and planned to continue recovery efforts during the coming days.
There are more than 110,000 missing people in Mexico, and Jalisco is the state with the highest number, at 15,000, according to federal government data. There are also thousands of unidentified remains in morgues and cemeteries.
Earlier this year, 31 bodies were exhumed by authorities from two clandestine graves in Jalisco, where the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel operates. The state is among the most heavily impacted by organized crime violence. Last year, 301 bodies were discovered in the state in 41 clandestine graves, and 544 bodies were found in 2020, the highest number to date.
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