Mexican authorities recover 20 to 25 bodies from abandoned silver mine

More than 20 bodies found in Mexican silver mine

MEXICO CITY — Authorities have found between 20 and 25 corpses in an abandoned silver mine in southern Mexico, apparently victims of drug gang violence, police said Sunday.

Federal police commissioner Facundo Rosas said the bodies were pulled from the mine late Saturday and throughout the day Sunday after a suspect tipped authorities off to the mine, one of hundreds in the region surrounding Taxco, a colonial-era city popular with international tourists.

The remains appear to have accumulated over an undetermined time as bodies were tossed over a 300-foot (100-meter) precipice into the mine.

Rosas said the investigation into the mass grave is continuing, and he did not provide the identities of the bodies or causes of death.

The state of Guerrero is plagued by drug violence among rival gangs, and marked by brazen attacks on police and soldiers engaged in a crackdown on traffickers.

But Taxco is better known for its silver jewelry, winding streets and Holy Week processions.

It was unclear for how long the mine — just one of many abandoned mines in the area — had been used to dispose of bodies.

President Felipe Calderon has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and federal police across the country to fight drug traffickers since taking office in late 2006. Drug gang violence has surged since the deployment, claiming more than 22,700 lives.