Mexican authorities have uncovered a clandestine graveyard near the Caribbean resort of Cancun, where the remains of at least 16 people have been found.
The site is located in the town of Leona Vicario, 26 miles (42 km) west of Cancun, Quintana Roo Attorney General Raciel López Salazar said.
Five points of “forensic interest” still need to be examined, which could raise the number of victims, he said.
The skeletal remains were found in 10 different locations and were covered with cement and quicklime.
There are more than 133,000 people registered as missing in Mexico. The vast majority of them disappeared in the past two decades.
It is common for these types of burials to be discovered in other parts of the country, such as Jalisco, Michoacan, Tamaulipas and Veracruz.
However, they are not common in Quintana Roo, a state known for its tourism.
However, the coastal region has always had a presence of organized crime since it is an important area for drug sales.
It has also been a major point of illegal entry for migrants.
Cancun is a major tourist destination and received about 10 million international visitors in 2024.
In April 2023, eight bodies were found dumped in the resort, according to CBS News.
At the time, authorities said five of the bodies were found at an abandoned building site, while three were founded in a wooded area on Cancun’s outskirts.
Following the grisly discovery, authorities issued a statement on social media, urging people “not to publish and share on social networks false news that only damages the image of Quintana Roo.”
One month earlier, in March 2023, a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning that month, telling tourists to “exercise increased caution” at resorts including Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen.
