In gruesome news out of Mexico today, authorities found the mutilated bodies of 49 victims dumped on the highway leading to Texas from San Juan over the weekend and are calling it “drug related”, as the spray-painted tag “100% Zeta” was found on a sign nearby.

The Zetas are a heavily-armed gang and have been at war with rival drug cartel Sinaloa for years now; mass body-dumpings have been found in recent months, leading authorities to believe things are about to come to a head. The latest victims–43 men and 6 women–had their heads, hands, and feet chopped off, which will make it extremely difficult to identify the bodies. Autopsies began yesterday.

The city’s police force has become woefully understaffed, leading to fear on the part of the citizens caught in the middle of a cartel battleground, where the fight for territory so often ends in bloodshed. But authorities insist they are doing what they can to keep the people of Mexico safe.

“This continues to be violence between criminal groups. This is not an attack against the civilian population,” said Jorge Domene, a security spokesman.

Because there have been few recent reports of people missing, police believe the victims are from another state, or possibly migrants. They say this is one of the worst massacres in Mexico in many years.