A payload truck carrying hundreds of Central American killers overturned and crashed last night (Thursday-Friday) into a highway bridge in the province of Chiapas in southeastern Mexico. At least 53 people were killed and dozens more injured as a result of the rollover, authorities in the country reported. The head of the district’s civil defense directorate said at least 21 of the injured are in critical condition.
The commander of the local fire station estimated that the combination of scattered speed and overweight may have caused the fatal accident and noted that near the overturning site there was a bend in the road that may have led to the crash. They added that many immigrants who survived the disaster fled the scene for fear of being arrested by the immigration.
One of the survivors of the accident told CNBC that “I felt the truck speeding and suddenly it lost control, probably because of the excess weight.” He also added that there were immigrants from Guatemala and Honduras in the trunk and estimated that there were between eight and ten small children.
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giamatti paid tribute to the victims and wrote: “I regret the tragedy in the province of Chiapas, and express my sympathy with the families of the victims, to whom we will offer all necessary consular assistance, including assistance back to the country.”
- Former senior police officer: “What’s going on there – a catastrophe”
I deeply regret the tragedy in the State of Chiapas and I sympathize with the families of the victims to whom we offer all the necessary consular assistance, including repatriations.
– Alejandro Giammattei (@DrGiammattei) December 10, 2021
53 migrants killed and 58 injured, is the balance of the overturning of a trailer in the Chiapa de Corzo-Tuxtla Gutiérrez section in Chiapas, the heavy unit was moving overcrowded migrants which lost control after colliding with the retaining wall. #Mexico #Chiapas pic.twitter.com/sFva381CCX
– RCK news (@RCKnoticias) December 10, 2021
State officials said an estimated 107 people were crammed into the same trunk and said it was not unusual for trucks to carry so many people during smuggling operations in southern Mexico.
It is estimated that the immigrants board the trucks on the Mexican-Guatemalan border and pay between $ 2,500 and $ 3,500 for the smuggling. Last October, 652 migrants were located in six trucks making their way to the border with the United States.
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