GUATEMALA CITY, Dec 22, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - At least 12 bodies have been found in three days in a wooded area on the outskirts of Guatemala City, authorities said Sunday, linking the discovery to gang violence.

The bodies had been dumped in an area where criminals often dispose of corpses, according to firefighters and local media reports.

Firefighter spokesman Hans Lemus told reporters that two bodies were found on Friday, and three bodies and a human skeleton on Saturday.

On Sunday, with the help of search dogs, authorities located six more human remains and bodies wrapped in sheets and plastic bags, he said.

In a message to reporters, the Ministry of the Interior said the murders could be linked to gangs fighting over territory.

Guatemala is plagued by criminal violence, mainly perpetrated by the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, which are considered terrorist organizations by the Central American country and the United States.

In October, rescue workers found nine bodies under a bridge in the town of Palencia, near the capital.

Authorities in Guatemala say that almost half of the country's violence is perpetrated by drug traffickers and gang members who extort money from businesses.

Guatemala ended last year with a homicide rate of 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, more than double the global average.