Body count rises to 279

THE number of murder victims unearthed in mass graves in northern Mexico this month has risen to 279, making it easily the worst discovery of its kind since the government began a campaign against drug cartels.

Attorney General Marisela Morales said the body count from 40 graves in the border state of Tamaulipas had risen to 183 while an official in the state of Durango, farther west, said 96 older corpses had been uncovered in two separate finds.

The mass killings have become an increasing headache for President Felipe Calderon in his bid to bring the cartels to heel. More than 37,000 people have died in the country’s drug war since it began in late 2006.