Body Count in Mexican Mass Graves Hits 116

Mexican authorities yesterday found 28 more bodies in the mass graves discovered in Tamaulipas last week, bringing the total number to 116. Seventeen people have been arrested in connection with the grisly uncovering. Most of the victims, believed to be kidnapped bus passengers, are probably Mexican, officials say, but few have been identified and at least one is Guatemalan.

President Felipe Calderon has installed troops in Tamaulipas after past violence, but the Los Angeles Times reports that drug gangs still pretty much have free run of the border state. The discovery of the mass graves prompted the arrival of more troops, and officials promised to step up monitoring highways. Authorities have not offered a motive for these particular bus attacks, but migrants crossing Mexico to look for work in the US are often the targets of robbery or extortion. (More Mexico stories.)