Band Members Among The Dead

Mexican authorities say about a dozen bodies pulled out of a well in northern Mexico include members of band Kombo Kolombia, who went missing Jan. 27 while playing a private party at a ranch called La Carreta.

It was not determined at press time how many bodies may be submerged in the well, according to an official who spoke on condition anonymity.

One survivor, identified by police only as a band member, said the 18-member group and four crew members were performing at a private party in a warehouse when 10 gunmen entered the building, rounded up everyone, blindfolded them and allegedly forced them into separate vehicles.

The survivor said he heard the gunmen asking his co-musicians if they were cartel members, then heard gunshots. Details on how he was able to escape have not been released.

Kombo Kolombia played a popular style of Colombian folk music called “vallenato,” not the “narcocorridos” usually associated with drug cartels.

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. No suspects had been arrested at press time.