Mexican police have discovered dozens of bags with human remains, during a search operation for seven young workers of a call center who went missing a week ago, Mexican prosecution said on Thursday.

Forty-five bags containing dismembered bodies were discovered in the Mirador del Bosque, in the suburbs of the western city of Guadalajara. The city is considered the cradle of the powerful cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).

The Jalisco state prosecutor's office said it was not yet clear whether the remains belonged to the seven missing workers but declared that the search for them was ongoing.

Crimes of disappearance are common in Mexico, especially in cities rife with drug cartel activity,such as Guadalajara. In May last year, the Interior Ministry reported that there were over 100,000 missing people.

Mexico has seen spiraling violence since the war on drugs began in 2006, with over 350,000 people having died since then.

Remains recovered from ravine

State prosecutors said the bags were recovered from a 40-meter-deep ravine in an area with difficult access. One black plastic bag containing human remains was first found on Tuesday, leading to the search that resulted in the discovery of the rest of the bags the next day.

Police coordinated with Zapopan city's civil protection forces and firefighters to extract the bags with the evidence.

Forensic personnel were also at the scene to determine the number of possible victims and to try and identify them, the prosecution added.

The preliminary report suggests the 45 bags contain the remains of both men and women.

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