MEXICO CITY, May 15, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Mexican authorities said Tuesday they
found 11 bodies in a region shaken by turf wars between drug cartels.

The Chiapas state prosecutor's office said it had opened a murder
investigation after the discovery in Morelia in the municipality of
Chicomuselo, without giving details about the circumstances of these deaths
or the victims.

Security forces launched patrols of the region near the border with Guatemala
as part of efforts to find the perpetrators, it said in a statement.

Chiapas draws tourists with its lush jungle, Indigenous communities and
ancient Mayan ruins.

But it has also seen rising violence involving criminal gangs fighting for
control of drug and people-smuggling routes.

Mexico has recorded more than 450,000 murders since launching a controversial
anti-drug military operation in 2006, according to official figures.