19 burned bodies found near the Mexico-US border town.

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) – Mexican authorities say they found 19 shot and burnt bodies near a town just across the Rio Grande from Texas in an area that has seen violent territorial disputes between organized crime groups in recent years .

Tamaulipas prosecution said late Saturday that the bodies were discovered along a dirt road outside Camargo after residents reported a burning vehicle. Authorities found two vehicles on fire, one with four bodies and the other 15.

They had all been shot, but no grenades were found at the site, leading investigators to believe they had been killed elsewhere.

A Camargo official, who asked for anonymity for security reasons, said the murders took place on Friday, but people were afraid to report it.

Camargo is an important transit point for drug trafficking and migrants. Organized crime groups want control of parts of the border because they make money from everything that crosses the border.

Camargo is on the edge of territory historically controlled by the Gulf Cartel, and in recent years a remnant of the Zetas known to the Northeast Cartel has tried to take over.

In January 2020, 21 bodies, most of them burned, were found in various vehicles near the neighboring town of Ciudad Mier. Days later, the Mexican army killed 11 suspected gunmen in the area.