November 29, 1999
Web posted at: 8:49 p.m. EST (0149 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI is expected to begin assisting Mexican authorities in their investigation of what may be two mass graves discovered across the U.S. border from El Paso, Texas, near Juarez, Mexico, U.S. government sources have told CNN.

Sources say "dozens" of FBI agents and forensic experts have arrived in El Paso and are expected to be taken to the sites Tuesday.

Mexican officials have informed U.S. authorities that U.S. citizens may be among the dead. But the actual number of bodies said to be in the graves and their identities have not been determined or confirmed.

Mexican authorities fear the mass graves may contain as many as 100 bodies, victims of killings that may be drug-related.

Law enforcement officials say the area along the Texas-Mexico border is part of a major drug corridor into the United States.

Mexican authorities have secured the sites to ensure the safety of U.S. law enforcement officials while forensic work is being done.

Key tasks include excavating the bodies and taking DNA samples from the remains in an attempt to identify any Americans among the dead.

Correspondent Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.

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