Tractor-trailer full of migrants crashes in southern Mexico, killing at least 54

MEXICO CITY — A tractor-trailer carrying much than 100 migrants crashed successful confederate Mexico connected Thursday afternoon, sidesplitting astatine slightest 54 people, according to Mexican authorities.

The clang happened successful the authorities of Chiapas, not acold from Mexico’s borderline with Guatemala. Officials said the victims appeared to beryllium mostly Central American migrants. Dozens of bodies were moved to the broadside of a main roadworthy and covered successful bedsheets, towels and assemblage bags.

Mexican officials said 54 were killed. Luis Manuel García Moreno, the authorities manager of civilian protection, said dozens much were injured and taken to section hospitals. Nineteen of the dormant were minors. The youngest was 3 years old. Video footage showed the trailer connected its broadside with much bodies and debris inside.

According to a database compiled by the authorities civilian extortion force, the bulk of the victims were Guatemalans. There were besides 3 Dominicans, 1 Honduran, 1 Salvadoran, 1 Ecuadoran and 1 Mexican.

Survivors described being tossed into the aerial erstwhile the trailer mislaid power astir a crook successful the road.

“The crook grabbed america and due to the fact that of the value of the radical inside, connected the turn, we each went flying,” Celso Pacheco, a Guatemalan man, told El Universal.

Thousands of migrants transit done Mexico hidden successful tractor-trailers similar the 1 that crashed connected Thursday to debar checkpoints acceptable up by Mexico’s nationalist defender and migration agency. They are astir ever bound for the U.S. border.

As the Biden medication has travel nether unit for the fig of migrants arriving astatine the confederate U.S. border, it has leaned connected Mexico to halt those flows. In caller months, the fig of migrant apprehensions successful Mexico has risen to grounds levels. By the extremity of October, Mexico had apprehended 228,000 migrants successful 2021, the highest yearly fig successful history.

That crackdown has pushed smugglers to look for ways to debar detection, including the usage of tractor-trailers. In November, Mexican authorities recovered 600 migrants crammed into 2 trailers successful the authorities of Veracruz. Those trailers are little conspicuous than the commercialized buses oregon trains that migrants erstwhile took successful greater numbers. They are typically the aforesaid 18-wheelers that watercourse crossed Mexico daily, carrying goods to the United States. The smugglers often complaint much than $10,000 per migrant.

In the aftermath of Thursday’s accident, the presidents of Mexico and Guatemala offered their condolences.

“I profoundly regret the calamity caused by the overturning of a trailer successful Chiapas carrying Central American migrants. It is precise painful. I connection a hug to the families of the victims,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.

“I profoundly regret the calamity successful the State of Chiapas and I sympathize with the families of the victims to whom we connection each the indispensable consular assistance, including repatriations,” said Guatemala’s president, Alejandro Giammattei.

The Biden medication has joined with Mexico connected a scope of policies aimed to deter migration to the United States. Under Title 42, the United States is expelling migrants to Mexico earlier they tin use for asylum oregon different protections. Mexico past often buses those migrants backmost to the Guatemala border, leaving immoderate migrants to effort the unsafe travel again.

Beginning this week, the Biden medication is besides implementing a Trump-era program, known arsenic the Migrant Protection Protocols, which forces immoderate migrants to hold successful Mexico for their asylum cases to beryllium processed successful the United States. A national justice successful August ordered the medication to renegotiate the reinstatement of that programme with Mexico.