VERACRUZ, Mexico, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The bodies of 35 people, some suspected of ties to organized crime, were dumped below a busy overpass in the Mexican tourist city of Veracruz, officials said.
The bodies were left in two trucks and on the ground along a road Tuesday near a shopping center in Boca del Rio, a popular tourist site in the Gulf of Mexico port city, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Veracruz state prosecutor Reynaldo Escobar said the victims showed signs of torture. He said seven victims identified late Tuesday had criminal records that included organized crime-related activities such as extortion, drug sales, kidnappings and murder.
"This is something that can calm the population," Escobar told Milenio Television about the criminal backgrounds. "This is not about civilians. These are people involved in illicit business, in drug sales."
Some of the deceased were reported to be women, but news accounts provided conflicting numbers, the Times said.
The state of Veracruz has turned more violent in the past few years as the Zetas drug cartel has become more influential there, the Times said.
On Monday, more than 30 prisoners escaped from several state prisons, but Escobar said a link between the two events hasn't been drawn.
