72 bodies found on Mexican ranch - Summary

The Mexican military found a mass grave containing the bodies of 58 men and 14 women at a ranch in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. This is the largest such finding of alleged victims of organized crime, the Navy said late Tuesday in a statement. The bodies were found after a man with gunshot wounds asked for help at a Navy road checkpoint. He said he had been attacked at a nearby ranch. Mexican marines supported by helicopters went to the area he described, about 22 kilometres northeast of the town of San Fernando, and they were then shot at by suspected drug traffickers within the ranch. One military officer and three alleged criminals died in the subsequent shootout. The Navy said they also found a cache of weapons, ammunition and camouflage uniforms and several vehicles, among others, in the vicinity of the bodies. "The injured person who reported the events is being guarded by federal authorities," the Navy said. "The whole of society must condemn this kind of events which illustrate the absolute need to keep fighting crime with full firmness on the part of the Mexican state," the text added. According to official figures, some 28000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug wars since President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006. Calderon denied Wednesday that the fight might be a personal obsession of his, but stressed it was a question of national security. "This is not my war," he said. "It is a security problem for many families that are ...

View Count: 0 Date: September 3, 2010