Count of bodies in Mexico mass graves rises to 42

Mexico City: The number of bodies found in 22 clandestine graves in western Mexico has risen to 42, after five more corpses were found over the weekend. Many of the bodies have been found bound or gagged. Some showed signs of torture, according to a federal prosecutor who spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the news media. [caption id=“attachment_1249875” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of forensic investigators putting a body that was recovered from a mass grave into a vehicle in La Barca, Mexico. AP[/caption] The graves are in La Barca, in a remote area by Lake Chapala, which is popular among tourists and American retirees. Local police officers who confessed to working with a drug cartel led agents to the mass graves last week near the border between Jalisco and Michoacan states. The area is the site of a turf war between the Knights Templar and the New Generation cartels. AP