2 pollsters beat, killed and burned in Puebla

A mob beat, killed and burned two pollsters who were conducting a survey in a small town southeast of Mexico City, authorities said Tuesday.

Ajalpan town police chief Jose Manuel Gonzalez told Milenio television that police received calls saying strangers were asking lots of questions on Monday.

Police had tried to protect the pollsters, but a mob dragged them from the jail, beat them, killed them and then burned their bodies. The town is about 170 miles from Mexico City.

"When we arrived there were a lot of people surrounding them," Gonzalez said. "We started a negotiation and we explained that we were going to take them into custody."

Gonzalez said they were from a university and from Mexico City. He said one of them spoke with his boss, who was going to bring documents showing they were just working, but the mob did not wait.

It's not clear if the crowd suspected them of a crime.

Vigilante killings occur occasionally in Mexico, and several have occurred recently in Puebla state, where Ajalpan is located.