The bodies of 24 people killed execution-style have been found near a national park in Mexico state in Mexico, a local prosecutor told AFP Friday.
   
"They have been found near a forest known as La Marquesa with their arms tied and with bullet wounds in their heads," said the prosecutor who spoke on condition of anonymity.
   
Violence has spiked across Mexico since President Felipe Calderon, who took office at the end of 2006, launched a crackdown on drug trafficking and related attacks, including the deployment of more than 36,000 soldiers nationwide.
   
Almost 3,000 people have been killed this year.
   
Mexico has now overtaken Colombia and Iraq with its kidnapping record, a rights group said recently, and most kidnappings are reported in Mexico City, with police or ex-police frequently accused of involvement.
   
One rights group reported 400 kidnappings so far this year in Mexico, compared with 438 for the whole of last year.
   
Many believe that two or three more kidnappings occur for each case reported.