Tourists in mexico drive around dismembered corpses amid gang violence

Police regularly cordon off parts of streets strewn with body parts in the famous holiday resort. Acapulco, with its picturesque beaches, has a reputation for being a playground for the rich

and famous – but in recent years, the city has been plagued by battles between warring cartels. Yesterday a car-load of visitors drove past the charred remains of victims on Lazaro Cardenas

Boulevard. Last month the US government advised citizens not to go to Acapulco after figures suggested Mexico has witnessed almost 30,000 murders in 2017. US President Donald Trump has gone

on record as claiming Mexico is the most dangerous country in the world. The Foreign Office has also urged visitors to take care, with a statement on its website explaining: “The security

situation can pose a risk for foreigners. Be alert to the existence of street crime as well as more serious violent crime like robbery, assault and vehicle hijacking. “In certain parts of

Mexico you should take particular care to avoid being caught up in drug related violence between criminal groups." The city is at the centre of a crime wave which has swept across the

country, including extortion, kidnaps and murder. Once upon a time film stars and other celebrities flocked there, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton frequent visitors, as well as

various members of the Kennedy family. In 1988 the Four Tops released their song Going Loco Down In Acapulco, which was featured in the hit Phil Collins movie Buster, about Buster Edwards,

who absconded there after the Great Train Robbery. However the magic mentioned in the song has long since given way to brutal violence. The situation is compounded by the parlous state of

the local economy, given that the city is in the poverty stricken Guerrero state. Last week Coca-Cola Femsa, the world's largest Coke bottler, announced it was shutting down operations

indefinitely in the nearby town of Ciudad Altamirano after being crippled by violence. A statement explained the company “profoundly regrets that the absence of law and the prevalence of

impunity that affects the region has led us to stop working in a territory where we have been for more than four decades”. Guerrero state was also rocked by a explosion on a ferry in Playa

del Carmen in February, which occurred when a homemade device was apparently triggered remotely.  At least 25 people were injured, including US tourists, although the motive for the attack

remains unclear.