Mexico Massacre: 28 Bodies Unearthed From a Mass Grave Near Iguala

Burnt human corpses-believed to belong to missing students, were found in a mass grave 120 miles south of Mexico City, on the outskirts of Iguala.

An anonymous tipster has pointed to a site in the state of Guerrero, after authorities offered reward money of $ 75,000 for information regarding the whereabouts of missing students in Mexico, said BBC News.

According to the news outlet, it has not yet been confirmed if the newly-found mass grave has a connection with the case of the missing students. However, the 43 missing students reportedly headed to the location "to take part in a protest over teachers' rights."

A Reuters report said that the students "clashed with police in Iguala" on the night of Sept. 26.

"Police opened fire on their buses, killing six people... Witnesses said that most of the survivors - all trainee teachers - were bundled into police vans before disappearing," stated BBC.

As of press time, 28 bodies have already been unearthed by investigators from the pit. The charred remains "were too badly damaged for immediate identification," NBC News quoted Guerrero state Attorney General Inaky Blanco. He added that it would take about a couple of weeks to two months to test the burnt corpses for identification.

It is believed that the victims of the alleged massacre were led up the end of the hillside where they were then thought to have been "executed," said the Reuters report.

Blanco said in the Reuters report that "bodies were set on fire after being heaped on top of branches which were likely doused with gasoline or diesel."

According to Blanco, suspects have already been identified for the crime, including the head of security for Iguala, Felipe Flores. NBC News, in another report, stated that one of the suspects claim there is a link to the case of the missing students and the mass grave.

"Blanco said one of the 30 people detained in the case had told investigators that 17 students were taken to the grave site and killed there. But he stressed that investigators had not confirmed the person's story," reported NBC News.

Aside from possible connivance with local police officers, Blanco also said that the cases could be linked to a criminal gang in the state of Guerrero called "Guerreros Unidos," noted a Reuters report.

"Suspected gang members had told investigators that police had handed over the students to the people who killed them, who belonged to the gang," said the Reuters report, according to an anonymous local security officer.

The Liberty Voice reported that the missing students are trainee teachers at Ayotzinapa's Normal School who participated in the protest due to government education restructurings and elevated university fees.