Mexico City, May 19 (IANS/EFE): At least 30 people disappeared during an armed siege of Chilapa de Alvarez, in southern Mexico's Guerrero state, residents informed the state's human rights commission.
Authorities were previously aware of the disappearances of only 16 of the 30, as the families of 14 others had been intimidated into staying quiet, according to Mexican media.
Residents blame the disappearances on the armed group.
Around 300 armed civilians took control of the city on May 9, demanding a stop to spiralling violence in the region in the run-up to elections on June 7, when 1,996 representatives, at local, state and federal levels, are due to be elected.
On May 1, a candidate for the position of mayor the city, Ulises Fabian Quiroz, was murdered near Atzacoaloya.
The self-styled "community police" withdrew five days later after reaching an agreement with state and federal authorities.