Sixteen bodies found in violence-wracked Mexican state

The bodies of 16 people were found Saturday in two different cities in Mexico's Zacatecas state, which officials and analysts say is in the throes of a turf war between two powerful drug cartels.

Local officials said 10 of the corpses were discovered in Fresnillo, while the other six were found in General Panfilo Natera, a city about 110 kilometers (70 miles) to the southeast.

State prosecutors said both crime scenes were being processed.

Violence has spiked in recent years in Zacatecas, with experts citing a turf war between the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation cartels for control of lucrative drug smuggling routes to the United States.

Late last year, grim incidents multiplied in the northern state, with some bodies found hanging in public places. In response, the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sent in security reinforcements.

On January 6, 10 bodies were found in a sports utility vehicle in the main square in the city of Zacatecas.

Across Mexico, more than 300,000 people have been killed in a wave of bloodshed since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006.