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MEXICO CITY: Families of dozens of Mexicans feared killed and buried in the woods south of the capital on Thursday joined a colossal search operation for their loved ones alongside activists, authorities and forensic experts.
They began combing a large wooded area in Ajusco, a volcanic hill south of Mexico City, searching for human remains.
The groups involved in the operation estimate that there could be between 130 and 150 bodies buried or hidden in the area.
Mothers dug the ground with pitchforks and shovels, while others used machetes and heavy machinery to clear vegetation, AFP images showed.
Araceli Olmedo Cruz, 40, told AFP she was searching for her son Benjamin who went missing from a nearby neighborhood in April 2024.
“Since it’s a secluded area, it makes it easier for people to come and dump the bodies,” she said.
Nationwide, there are more than 127,000 missing persons, with an uptick in reported disappearances linked to a rise in drug-related violence since the government launched a major operation targeting crime groups in December 2006.
Bodies have been discovered across the country.
In Bartolina, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, authorities unearthed about 1,100 pounds (500 kgs) of human remains between 2017 and 2021.
Arnulfo Garcia is searching for his mother, Placida, who he hasn’t heard from in a year but hopes is still alive.
“We had searched in urban areas of the city, put up posters,” he said.
Garcia said he decided to join the Ajusco search in the hopes of connecting with authorities who may be able to locate his mother.
Local media said the search, involving some 430 people, will continue until October 31.

PARIS: Bird flu is spreading rapidly in Europe, with the highest number of countries in at least a decade reporting early outbreaks, raising concerns about a repeat of past crises that led to the culling of tens of million birds and higher food prices.
The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, is a concern for governments and the poultry industry due to the devastation it can cause to flocks, the possibility of trade restrictions and a risk of a new pandemic.
The disease, mainly spread by migrating wild birds, caused 56 outbreaks in 10 EU countries and Britain from August to mid-October, mostly in Poland — the top EU poultry producer — Spain and Germany, France’s animal health surveillance body ESA said.
This is the first time it has spread to 10 countries this early in the season for at least a decade, although the total number of outbreaks remains lower than in 2022 when the bloc recorded its worst ever bird flu crisis.
Last year there were 31 outbreaks in nine countries during the same period.
“All these cases in Europe show that the virus is far from gone,” said Yann Nedelec, director of French poultry industry group Anvol.

POULTRY ORDERED INDOOR AS VIRUS SPREADS
Since ESA’s latest report, Belgium and Slovakia this week reported their first bird flu cases of the season, the World Organization for Animal Health said on Wednesday, which prompted Belgium to order that all poultry be kept indoors.
Two other outbreaks also emerged in France, another major poultry producer, the farm ministry said on Tuesday as it ordered that birds be confined, citing rising outbreaks in Spain and Germany. Last year the order came in November and in December the year before.
The risk of bird flu for humans remains low, with most people infected having been in close contact with infected animals, but the virus needs to be monitored as it increasingly spreads to mammals, the World Health Organization said.
France has begun its third annual bird flu vaccination campaign for farm ducks, making it the first major poultry exporter to do so nationwide. It has credited the policy with curbing the disease.
Bird flu has also hit the US and Asia. Over 180 million birds were culled in the US, affecting egg prices and infecting dairy cows and people.
Brazil, the world’s largest poutry exporter, faced an outbreak but is now free of bird flu. Japan reported its first case of the season this week.