Mexico Police Find Bodies Dumped In Bags

The bodies of 49 men and women - some of them mutilated - have been discovered in plastic bags on a highway in Mexico.

The remains were found near a major road, which connects the northern Mexican city of Monterrey to the US border, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Traffic along the stretch was brought to a standstill as federal and state police, joined by Mexican troops, sealed off the scene.

The identities of the victims are not yet known, but state security spokesman Jorge Domene said identification would be difficult because the bodies were found with their heads, hands and feet cut off.

The gruesome discovery appears to be the latest in a series of incidents where feuding drug gangs have left bodies scattered in public places as warnings to rivals.

Mr Domene said a banner left at the site included a threatening message in the name of the Zetas drug cartel.

Earlier this month, 23 bodies were found dumped or hanging in the city of Nuevo Laredo and 18 were found along a highway south of Guadalajara.

Around 59 bodies were discovered at a ranch in Tamaulipas in April - weeks after several bus-loads of migrants were reported missing.

Tens of thousands of people have died since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon's government launched a military crackdown on drugs-related violence in the country.

The president's move, however, has met with little success.