12 bodies found outside Guatemala City linked to gang violence, officials say

At least 12 bodies were found in three days in a wooded area on the outskirts of Guatemala City, authorities announced Sunday, linking the discovery to gang violence.

The bodies had been dumped in an area where criminals often dispose of corpses, according to firefighters and local media. Firefighter spokesman Hans Lemus told reporters that two bodies were found on Friday and three bodies and a human skeleton on Saturday.

On Sunday, with the help of search dogs, authorities located six more human remains and bodies wrapped in sheets and plastic bags, Lemus said.

In a message to journalists, the Interior Ministry said the killings could be linked to gang struggles over territory.

The grim discovery comes a week after Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo declared a state of emergency in western Guatemala, a day after gunmen attacked a military post and a police station, cut roads and hijacked buses, killing at least five people, the Associated Press reported.

The gangs are linked to drug trafficking and pose a threat to local communities, according to Arévalo, who said: “Communities are not alone.”

Guatemala is plagued by criminal violence, mainly perpetrated by Ward 18 And Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, which are considered terrorist organizations by the Central American country and the United States.

The Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs are rivals fighting for control of territory in Guatemala by extorting merchants, transport workers and civilians. Over the summer, authorities said at least seven people were killed when armed gang members burst into the funeral of a Barrio 18 member.

In October, rescuers found nine bodies under a bridge in the town of Palencia, near the capital.

Guatemalan authorities say nearly half of the violence in the country is carried out by drug traffickers and gang members. The country ended last year with a homicide rate of 16.1 per 100,000 people, more than double the global average.