8 bodies found in clandestine burial pit in southern Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Mexican prosecutors have found eight badly decomposed bodies in a clandestine burial pit in Chilpancingo, the capital of the southern state of Guerrero.

The state prosecutors’ office said Monday that investigators followed a tip to the site and found the bodies largely reduced to skeletal remains. Nearby, agents found a pair of handcuffs and a machete in an abandoned house.

Chilpancingo has seen a recent rise in drug cartel-style crime as opium poppies have been planted on the outskirts of the city.

Drug gangs frequently use burial pits to dispose of their victims.