Mexico unearths second ‘mass grave’ in the hunt for missing students

Mexican authorities searching for 43 missing college students have found human remains in a new area of southern Guerrero state and are testing to see if they belong to the young men who were last seen in police custody a month ago, a government official said Monday. Authorities came upon the new location in the town of Cocula based on statements from four people arrested Monday, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam confirmed the four arrests in a press conference but made no mention of more remains or mass graves. He said some of those arrested could be members of the Guerreros Unidos cartel who are believed responsible for abducting the students after an attack by local police. The students from a rural teachers college disappeared after a confrontation with police in Iguala, a city about 30 kilometres southwest of Mexico City. Authorities say the attack was ordered by Jose Luis Abarca, the mayor of Iguala who is being sought by officials, along with his wife and the city’s police chief. Mexico now has a total of 56 people in custody in the case.

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