More than 26,000 people have gone missing in Mexico over the past six years as violence surged and the country's government cracked down on drug cartels. Mexico's Interior Ministry announced the staggering statistic on Tuesday but noted that authorities don't have data about how many of the disappearances are connected with organized crime. The 26,121 disappearances occurred during former President Felipe Calderon's six-year administration, which ended on December 1 when Enrique Pena Nieto assumed the presidency. Pena Nieto's government has formed a special working group to focus on finding the missing, said Lia Limon, deputy secretary of legal matters and human rights for Mexico's Interior Ministry.
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Mexico's interior minister says 26,121 people disappeared from 2006-2012
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It's unclear how many of the disappearances are connected with organized crime
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Official: Locating people "is a priority for this government"
Critics have accused @placeholder's government of not doing enough to find the missing and punish those responsible.