Mexican authorities find bodies of 4 men, 2 women piled up in resort city
FILE-Members of the National Guard monitor the tourist area of Tamarindos Beach, in Acapulco, Mexico, on April 17. (Photo by Ian Robles/Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Prosecutors in Mexico say they have found the bodies of four men and two women piled up on a street in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco.
The victims, who were strangled and had their hands tied behind their backs, were discovered late Monday. The killings remain under investigation and their identities have not been released.
Last week, five dismembered bodies were found scattered on a street in Acapulco, with one of the victims being a candidate for a town council seat in the nearby town of Coyuca de Benítez.
Mexican drug gangs frequently kill their victims by asphyxiation, either by strangling them or wrapping duct tape or plastic bags around their heads, according to The Associated Press.
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FILE-Police, members of the National Guard and soldiers of the Mexican Army guard the site where candidate for mayor of Coyuca de Benitez, Anibal Zuniga Cortes, and his wife, Ruby Bravo, were killed in Acapulco on May 16. (Photo by FRANCISCO ROBLES/A
Acapulco is still reeling after being hit by Category 5 Hurricane Otis in October last year, which left 52 dead and damaged numerous hotels along its beachfront.
In early April, Eduardo Chávez, the head of municipal traffic police in Acapulco, was found shot dead in the city.
Drug cartels in Mexico often force bus and taxi drivers to work for them and may have been angered by traffic stops of such vehicles, the AP reports. Videos reportedly posted on social media in March showed drug gang enforcers brutally beating bus drivers in Acapulco for failing to act as lookouts for the cartel.
POLICE OFFICIAL IS SHOT TO DEATH IN MEXICO’S TROUBLED RESORT CITY OF ACAPULCO
FILE-Tourists enjoy the beach in Acapulco on April 20, 2024. (Photo by Ian Robles/Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The month before, the strangled bodies of two men were found at the popular Condesa beach there.
The U.S. State Department advises Americans not to travel to Guerrero State, where Acapulco is located, "due to crime."
"Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero," the State Department warns. "Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents have been victims of kidnapping in previous years."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.