MEXICO CITY (AP)  The bodies of 20 to 25 people, apparently victims of drug gang violence, were recovered from an abandoned silver mine in an area of southern Mexico popular with international tourists, a federal police official said Sunday.

The bodies appear to have been tossed over time down about 300 feet into the abandoned mine, which is near Taxco, a city in the state of Guerrero that is known for its silver jewelry and other items. The area, dotted by hundreds of mines, is popular with tourists from the United States and elsewhere.

Federal Police Commissioner Facundo Rosas said a suspect told the authorities about the mass grave, and they began pulling bodies from the mine late Saturday.

Guerrero is plagued by drug violence among rival gangs, and marked by brazen attacks on the police and soldiers engaged in a crackdown on traffickers.