TIJUANA, Mexico, Oct 2, 2008 (AFP) - Police found eight bodies Thursday in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, near a vacant lot where a pile of 12 bodies was discovered Monday, an official at the state prosecutor's office said.

'They are eight executed men, including one wearing handcuffs and with a mutilated finger. More than 60 bullet shells were found nearby,' the official said, requesting anonymity.

The bodies lay in an industrial park, near a children's playground.

Gangland-style murders have again escalated in recent days in the city bordering the United States.

Two bodies were found hanging from a bridge there Wednesday and police found a total of 16 corpses on Monday.

Violence has escalated across Mexico this year, with more than 3,000 murders according to Mexican journalists, amid a government crackdown on drug-related crime including the deployment of 36,000 troops.

Border areas where rival drug cartels are battling for control of key routes into the United States are among the worst hit, particularly Tijuana and the city of Ciudad Juarez, further east along the US border.