Mexico making progress in Iguala student massacre probe, says rights group

Mexican Attorney General's Office (PGR) is making progress in the investigation into the September 2014 abduction, torture and incineration of 43 students, a rights group said Sunday.

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) said the recent arrest of three members of a criminal gang that killed the students, in collusion with local officials, will shed light on the incident, which happened on Sept. 26, 2014 in the town of Iguala in southern Guerrero state.

The case, which made global headlines, remains inconclusive for almost a year and a half.

"The latest arrests by federal authorities in the Iguala case comply with points 5 and 23 of the observations and proposals the CNDH made to the PGR," the CNDH said.

Point 5 called on the authorities to identify and arrest those involved in the crime, while point 23 urged officials to deepen their investigation into the criminal gang -- Guerreros Unidos -- and their ties to local officials.

The mayor of Iguala and his wife were captured in Mexico City following a month-long manhunt after the incident, but the couple had denied their involvement. Some 80 suspects, half of whom were police officers, have been arrested so far, according to the PGR.

"One of those arrested is linked to the disappearance of the students. His capture will, no doubt, allow (officials) to make progress in establishing the facts," the CNDH said.

Meanwhile, the burnt remains of at most two of the students have been identified after the ashes were sent to Europe for DNA identification.

Official reports said the kidnapping happened when the students, who were from a teachers' college in the nearby town of Ayotzinapa, were heading to Iguala to take part in a protest at a public event, where the mayor's wife was due to speak.

Local police intercepted their buses and clashed with the students, leaving six people dead and 25 others injured. They later handed the students over to members of the criminal gang. Endi