Veracruz (Mexico), Apr 30 (IANS/EFE): The body of Regina Martinez, the Proceso magazine correspondent in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, was found in her house. She had been strangled to death, officials said.

Martinez, who covered drug trafficking, was found Saturday in the bathroom of her house in Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz, and appeared to have been beaten and strangled.

Emergency services personnel found the body around 6 p.m. after responding to an anonymous tip about a dead body.

Veracruz Gov. Gabriel Duarte ordered an investigation to determine who killed the reporter and expressed condolences to her family.

Martinez had worked for a number of different media outlets during a career that spanned more than 30 years.

Mexico, where nearly 80 journalists have been murdered and several others have disappeared since 2000, is considered the world's second most dangerous country for members of the media.

Nine journalists were murdered in Mexico last year, the National Human Rights Commission, or CNDH, said in a statement released in January.

Journalists have increasingly been targeted in recent years by drug traffickers and other organized crime groups, especially in northern Mexico.