19 bodies found in truck in Chiapas amid cartel violence

The grim discovery in the southern state of Chiapas was made near the city of La Concordia, north of Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. The elimparcial.com portal indicates that "the bodies of 15 men with gunshot wounds were found on the truck bed, 2 more in the cab, 2 on the side, and one about 328 feet away from the vehicle, which was riddled with bullets."

A government security source in Chiapas told Reuters that the victims were Guatemalan members of a criminal group fighting for territorial control in that area.

It's a criminal group that wants to enter this area. These are Guatemalans, and they are fighting here with several criminal cells, in this case with the Sinaloa cartel — the Reuters source said.

Identification of the victims is ongoing. It is suspected that four to seven of the bodies are Guatemalans, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed reporters. Authorities assure that the identity and nationality of all victims will be determined.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, during his regular morning press conference on Tuesday at 9:00 AM ET, called this incident an "unfortunate confrontation," adding that among the victims are both Mexicans and Guatemalans. The president promised a thorough investigation into the victims and assured that security in Chiapas will be strengthened.

In recent years, acts of violence and gang conflicts have been increasingly common in Chiapas. Cartels are fighting for control over lucrative migrant and drug smuggling routes.

As a result of increased migrant trafficking in this area, the Sinaloa cartel, which previously controlled drug trafficking, has become very strong – a Chiapas security source reported.

The Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco cartel have been engaged in a war for influence in this area, resulting in hundreds of people being forced to flee their homes and seek safer shelter in January of last year.