Missing persons and clandestine graves in Coahuila

In Coahuila, Mexico, authorities and search collectives have uncovered significant quantities of human remains in clandestine graves. State officials and the group Grupo VIDA reported recovering over one ton of bone remains and 116,326 dental pieces across 1,476 operations. These searches have identified remains in 29 locations, with at least 10 sites suspected to be “extermination fields.”

Recent operations in the Viesca municipality, specifically within a dune area of Ejido Salitrillo, resulted in the discovery of five graves containing human remains during a three-day period. The total weight of recovered bones exceeds one ton when combining the 725.213 kilograms recorded by the State Attorney General's Office with additional remains processed by the Regional Center for Human Identification.

In response to the ongoing crisis, the collective ‘Juntos en Acción por Nuestros Desaparecidos Región Centro’ has organized a ‘Jornada de Búsqueda en Vida’ (Search for Life Day). This initiative involves approximately 100 volunteers conducting field tours and information dissemination across various municipalities in the central region of Coahuila to find clues regarding missing persons. The collective has also requested public donations of essential supplies to support its efforts.