55 migrants died when a truck overturned in Chiapas

by time news

At least 55 migrants died and another 73 were injured due to the overturning of a truck this Thursday, in a tragic accident that occurred on a highway in Chiapas, a state in southeastern Mexico, according to official sources.

The accident happened around 3:30 p.m. (local time), when a trailer that transported more than a hundred Central American migrantsIn overcrowded conditions in its dry box, it overturned on a curve, due to speeding, on the Chiapa de Corzo-Tuxtla Gutiérrez highway.

According to the report of the State Prosecutor’s Office, the trailer collided with the wall of the pedestrian bridge wall. After the impact, the box was left without the roof and then overturned to one side and, as a result of the strong blow, dozens of migrants died instantly.

Due to its importance, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) of Mexico has brought the case and confirmed that so far 55 people have died and three more have been seriously injured, according to the information collected so far.

“As it is an unfortunate case of migrants that occurred in a Federal communication channel, the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Human Rights (FEMDH) will act together with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Regional Control (FECOR), as well as all technical and support personnel that is necessary, to carry out the corresponding proceedings, “the FGR explained in a statement.

The bodies of the deceased, in the area of ​​the accident. Photo Carlos López / EFE

The help of the neighbors

In a matter of minutes, inhabitants of the colony (neighborhood) Satelite approached to rescue the migrants alive and injured, although they also found inert, lifeless bodies, which were piled up on the asphalt tape and covered with sheets.

Witnesses indicated that several of the survivors fled from the scene of the accident, while others, despite the state of “shock” continued their journey and others hid for fear of being arrested.

Videos published on social networks showed the magnitude of the tragedy, one of the most serious in memory of this type in Mexico, in addition to the first rescue efforts in which bodies were seen piled up on the asphalt while handling uncertain figures, since from the beginning there were 20 or 30 deaths.

In statements to the media, Luis Manuel García Moreno, Chiapas Secretary of Civil Protection, first indicated that the figure was 49 deaths and 58 people injured, but the fatalities increased as the hours passed.

He explained that in the vehicle box 107 migrants from Central America were traveling, mostly from Guatemala and El Salvador, although there were also Hondurans and Nicaraguans.

The person in charge of Civil Protection said that, according to versions of the injured people, the trip began in the city of Comitán de Domínguez, Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, while witnesses to the accident They stated that the rollover occurred due to speeding.

“The testimonies indicated that the truck was speeding and when taking a sharp curve the box in which the migrants were traveling was overturned and detached“Garcia Moreno pointed out.

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, lamented the accident.

“I deeply regret the tragedy caused by the overturning of a trailer in Chiapas that was transporting Central American migrants. It is very painful. I hug the families of the victims, “the president wrote in a message on Twitter.

For his part, the Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, reported a “serious accident in Chiapas with victims of nationals from other countries.”

He offered condolences to the victims and their families: “In communication with the State Government and Civil Protection. We make contact with the foreign ministries of the affected countries,” he said in his message.

This is how the box of the truck was left.  Photo Gabriela Coutino / AFP

This is how the box of the truck was left. Photo Gabriela Coutino / AFP

Intense rescue work

Almost four hours after the accident, rescue and clean-up work continued at the site. Agents of the National Guard were in charge of uploading the bodies to different vehicles to take them to the Forensic Medical Service of Txutla Gutiérrez, while a crane removed the trailer and the box.

In the midst of the chaos, a minor appeared who told the Migration and Civil Protection agents her origin and state of health and was then taken to an ambulance where she was given medical attention.

At the scene, state agents collected the belongings of the migrants scattered in the crashed truck and placed them on the side of the road and then loaded them into the State Police vans, to transfer them to the Chiapa de Corzo Prosecutor’s Office.

The migration crisis hit Mexico hard in 2021, with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of foreigners – mostly Central Americans and Haitians – to the country seeking to reach the United States.

As a symbol of this growing crisis, several migrant caravans They have left southern Mexico in recent months, most of them being dismantled by the country’s authorities, who received warrants from the UN due to the treatment.

The Mexican Government has garnered criticism for its treatment of migrants and the current deployment of tens of thousands of elements of the Armed Forces on the northern and southern borders for control tasks, as part of cooperation on migration matters with the United States.

Faced with this scenario, human traffickers take the opportunity to transfer migrants illegally and for this they seek routes for foreigners who are made to travel in overcrowded conditions and with little security through the states of the southeast, center and north of the country on their journey to the United States. United.

Mexican authorities they have intercepted 228,115 migrants and deported 82,627 from January to October 2021, numbers not seen in more than 15 years.

What’s more, 123,000 migrants have requested refuge in the first eleven months of 2021, another absolute record, since in previous years there were about 40,000 requests.

With information from EFE

DB

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