56 bodies found in unmarked mass graves in Mexico: prosecutors

Fifty-six bodies have been discovered in unmarked mass graves in northern Mexico, not far from the border with the United States, local prosecutors said Saturday in a statement.

The remains were exhumed earlier this week in Chihuahua state -- a hive of drug-related crime and weapons trafficking -- in a military-aided operation that lasted several days, the statement said.

Prosecutors gave no details about the possible identities of the victims.

The remains included some bodies, some complete skeletons and other partial remains, as well as clothing and bullet casings.

They have been sent to a forensics lab to determine the time and cause of death, with hopes that the victims can be identified, prosecutors said.

The bodies were exhumed in an area known as "El Willy," controlled by a criminal organization called La Linea -- one of the armed branches of the Ciudad Juarez cartel active on the border, according to local media.

Chihuahua state lies along a drug and migrant trafficking route to the United States.

Last month, at least 12 bodies were found in several graves about two hours from Ciudad Juarez, which lies across the border from El Paso, Texas.

More than 450,000 people have been murdered countrywide since Mexico launched a major offensive against drug cartels in 2006.