At least 10 Cuban migrants lost their lives and another 17 people of the same nationality were seriously injured when the cargo truck in which they were traveling crashed near the border with Guatemala. Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) reported that all of the fatalities were women, including a minor.
The INM report indicates that the driver was apparently speeding and lost control of the vehicle, which was carrying a total of 27 migrants at the time. Following the accident, the driver fled the scene.
The accident took place on Sunday on a highway near the town of Pijijiapan, in the state of Chiapas. Images of the incident show the truck overturned on the side of the road, with the victims lying on the ground.
According to an employee of the state prosecutor’s office, the migrants were asking passing vehicles for a ride.
Given Mexican authorities’ restriction on transporting migrants without proper documentation on buses, those who cannot afford smugglers often resort to walking along the side of the roads, asking truckers to transport them for free.
Second accident over the weekend
This tragic event adds to a string of deadly incidents involving migrants in Mexico, amid a surge in migration flows to the U.S. border.
The INM reported another accident on Friday involving 52 migrants traveling in a crowded truck when the driver lost control and overturned, also in Chiapas. The injured, including six children, were taken to a hospital, where all were granted legal asylum cards, being victims of a crime committed in Mexican territory.
In addition, shootings were reported at the border on Friday, where two Mexican migrants were killed and three others were shot and wounded.
The insecurity and dangers faced by migrants on their way to Mexico’s northern border are of growing concern, and underscore the need to urgently address security conditions and access to legal and safe pathways for those seeking a better life in the United States.
TYT Newsroom
