The bodies of 35 people with suspected links to organised crime were dumped under a highway bridge in eastern Mexico yesterday, in a major escalation of violence in the once quiet port city of Veracruz.
The bodies, reportedly of both men and women, were discovered near a shopping center in Boca del Rio, along Mexico's Gulf coast, state prosecutor Reynaldo Escobar told the Milenio TV station.
"These were people involved in organised crime," Mr Escobar said of the victims. Seven had been identified hours after their discovery, all with criminal records, he added. Some bodies were reportedly pulled from trucks and put on the footpath before the drivers fled.
"We have never seen a situation like this before."
Violence between rival drug cartels has been heating up in the coffee- and sugar-growing state of Veracruz and local media reported the bodies - some found with their hands tied showing signs of torture - were from the feared Zetas crime gang.
The paramilitary-style group founded by deserters from Mexico's army special forces split off from its former employer, the Gulf cartel, and the two are now fighting a battle for lucrative drug-smuggling routes to the United States.
The rivalry has engulfed the prosperous business city of Monterrey and the state of Tamaulipas in northern Mexico and could now be spreading south.
About 42,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon launched a campaign against drug cartels at the beginning of his term in late 2006. Most of that violence has been focused on the northern border with the United States.
A group of armed men hurled a grenade in August into a popular area of Veracruz city, killing one person. This week, 32 prisoners escaped from jails in Veracruz state.
Reuters