17 bodies found in abandoned house in violence-hit central Mexico

(Web Desk): Investigators looking into cases of missing persons have discovered 17 bodies in an abandoned house in a violence-stricken area of central Mexico.

According to a report by French news agency AFP, the state prosecutor’s office stated that the bodies were found last week in the city of Irapuato, in Guanajuato state, with the help of ground-penetrating radar and sniffer dogs. Five of the victims have been identified as missing persons.

Guanajuato is a growing industrial hub and home to several popular tourist destinations. However, official data shows it is also the most dangerous state in Mexico, plagued by ongoing turf wars between rival gangs.

Drug-related violence has claimed nearly 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006, and over 120,000 people have gone missing during this period.

Most of the violence in Guanajuato is linked to the conflict between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Latin America’s most powerful criminal organizations.

Official figures reveal that more than 3,000 people were murdered in Guanajuato last year — the highest number in any Mexican state.