THE charred remains of a group of five women who were abducted and murdered have been found in violence-wracked central Mexico, authorities said yesterday.

In total, six women aged between 19 and 48 were reported to have disappeared this month on their way to work at an event venue in Celaya, in Guanajuato state.

Genetic testing identified the remains of five of the women, state prosecutor Carlos Zamarripa told reporters, adding that most of the bodies “were almost entirely burned.”

Forensic experts continued to analyse material found at the site, he said, adding that the motive for the murders was still being investigated.

Six suspected gang members from the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, including a Honduran, have been arrested, Zamarripa said.

Around 10 women are murdered every day in Mexico, official figures showed.

Guanajuato has become the country’s most violent state due to a bloody turf war between the Jalisco New Generation and Santa Rosa de Lima drug cartels.

The Latin American country is plagued by gang-related bloodshed that has seen around 350,000 people murdered since the government deployed the military in the war on drugs in 2006. – AFP, March 18, 2023.