by The butchered remains of three people washed up this weekend in Acapulco, Mexico – shocking beachgoers in the once thriving vacation hotspot.
Gruesome photos show a body lying face up on the sun-drenched beach of Condesa, as tourists gawk and families wade into nearby waters.
The bodies all showed signs of torture, the Sun reported.
Authorities removed the bodies, believed to be victims of brutal cartel violence, but never sealed off the beach, reports said.
The first two bodies were found by tourists on Condesa beach on Saturday and the third washed up on nearby Icacos beach, according to El Pais, a Spanish-language publication.
One of the two bodies found on Condesa was tied to a cement anchor and the third body found on Icacos had been shot in the back of the head.
The grisly finds come as cartel violence ramps up in the once-luxury destination that is now ranked the seventh deadliest in the world, according to the Sun.
More than 120 homicides were recorded in Acapulco in the first four months of this year alone, according to El Pais.
Last year, the US State Department issued a “Do Not Travel” advisory for the state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, warning US citizens of “widespread” crime and violence.
“Armed groups operate independently of the government in many parts of Guerrero,” the advisory said. “Members of these groups regularly maintain roadblocks and may use violence against travelers.”
Kidnapping has also been a problem in the state, the advisory said.
Once a favorite vacation spot of the wealthy, Acapulco has been frequented by Hollywood A-listers such as Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor in recent decades.
But deadly violence has become so common that vacationers and residents have sometimes been spotted standing near bullet-riddled corpses.
In 2018, gunmen killed a man and wounded two at a beachside restaurant, while a shocking photo showed tourists continuing their leisure activities not far from a murdered person.
That same year, the entire police force was disarmed and investigated after officials said the force had been infiltrated by the cartels.
