Horrified tourists and locals filmed the dead bodies of three men who seemed to have been butchered and tortured, washed up on a popular Mexican beach.

Tourists who had gone to enjoy a beach day at one of the most famous beach resorts in Acapulco, Playa Condesa, were subjected to the stark reminder of how brutal Mexican drug cartels are and that the problem was far from over.

Visitors made the first discovery on Saturday afternoon after two bodies washed up. The bodies had clear signs that they had been tortured before they were killed and dumped.

Pictures show one of the bodies sprawled on the sun-soaked beach with its face up as tourists standing nearby stare at the corpse while others continue their day in the water as if nothing strange had occurred.

The other corpse was found on the Condesa beach with its hand and foot bound to a cement anchor.

Tourists alerted state authorities about their gruesome discoveries. Even though police removed the bodies, which they believed to be victims of ongoing cartel violence, they decided not to shut the beach down.

While the first two bodies were discovered on Condesa beach on Saturday, the third body washed up a day later on a nearby beach on Sunday. Navy agents discovered the body a couple of miles from Icacos beach near a military base.

The third corpse was a man shot multiple times in the back of his neck.

Acapulco is one of the oldest beach cities in Mexico, and it was once a thriving beach destination. Between the 1940s and 60s, it was a vacation hotspot for many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Brigitte Bardot, who frequently visited the city and stayed in its fashionable resorts.

The city was the focus of a Hollywood film by Elvis Presley titled “Fun in Acapulco,” which was released in 1963.

These days, Acapulco’s glamorous side is a thing of the past as it has become a stage for cartel violence, keeping tourists away. In 2019, Acapulco topped the charts of deadliest cities in the world, coming in at number seven.

In 2016, Acapulco recorded 918 murders making it the city with the highest homicide rate in the world that year.

Last year, the US issued a travel advisory against the Mexican state of Guerrero, warning American citizens that the state had huge levels of crime and violence. Acapulco is located in Guerrero state.

The ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory states that armed groups, which are not part of the government, continue to operate in most of the state, often putting up roadblocks, and have become violent towards travelers. It specifically warns Americans not to travel to Acapulco, among other areas. Between January and April 2022, the city recorded 120 murders.

Murders and violence in the city have become so common that residents and visitors have become accustomed to continuing with their day not far from murdered corpses.

On the same day the third body was found, there was a shootout in a hotel car park near the port. Police discovered more than 20 casings near the Calinda Beach Resort. Luckily, no one was injured.

In light of the high homicide rates in the city, very few international tourists visit Acapulco today.