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By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

According to Mexican government statistics, in the first month and a half of 2022, there were at least 33 mass murders in the country, with more than 147 victims.

Most of the murders — almost all of which have been linked to organized crime groups — took place in six states where warring drug cartels have resorted to gruesome acts to claim their turf: Guanajuato (10 massacres and 39 deaths), Zacatecas (seven mass murders with 38 victims), Michoacán (six mass murders and 28 deaths), Guerrero (five mass murders and 19 victims), Veracruz (two mass murders with 13 deaths) and Chihuahua (three mass murders with 10 deaths).

All 33 of the mass murders as Monday, Feb. 14, included acts of extreme cruelty such as burning people alive, hangings and dismemberments. Among the fatalities were at least 22 women.

According to Mexican authorities, most of the massacres that have occurred so far this year were “the product of internal conflicts between antagonistic criminal groups that operate in those regions,” but there were also mass murders that were directed against police officers.

In both cases, criminal groups resorted to violently killing large numbers of people to instill fear and/or revenge, the authorities said.

According to  2021 Atrocities Report, issued by the nonprofit Common Cause organization, last year there were a total of 529 mass murders.