Five bodies found hanging from bridge end calm in Mexican town

POZO DE GAMBOA, Mexico — Five bodies were found hanging from a bridge in the small town of Pozo de Gamboa in the central-northern state of Zacatecas on July 18, ending a period of relative calm that residents had come to rely on. According to AFP, five additional bodies were discovered elsewhere in the town the same day. Among the victims were a former mayor, public servants and businesspeople from other cities, the agency reported. The town of roughly 5,000 residents is known for bean farming, and annual homicides there had fallen from about 1,300 in 2022 to 144 in 2025, according to figures cited in the report, after federal and state authorities increased coordination. Residents said they now fear going out after dark, and one local described the community as a "ghost town." Zacatecas sits along routes used to move cocaine and other drugs from Mexico's interior toward the U.S. market. Authorities said an investigation has been opened to identify those responsible and that the state government has requested security support from the army and the National Guard. President Claudia Sheinbaum's government has deployed troops to states including Sinaloa and Michoacán under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on cartels.