MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The bodies of 60 men were found earlier this year in a rural area of the northern Mexican state of Sonora, which borders Arizona, the state prosecutor's office said on Wednesday, amid a surge in violence in the region.
In a statement, it said the bodies found in January and February in the state capital, Hermosillo, belonged to people kidnapped in a wave of "score settling" between criminal organizations operating in the area.
"Identification has been achieved through scientific evidence for each and every one of the victims, who have already been handed over to their families," it said, adding that at least five people have been arrested in relation to the case.
Violence has increased in Sonora due to constant clashes between criminal groups fighting for control of routes for drug and migrant trafficking to the United States.
(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz;Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher;Editing by Bill Berkrot)
