54 Killed in Mexico, as truck carrying migrants, crash in Chiapas

At least 54 people, largely Central Americans died when a truck overturned in southern Mexico on Thursday.

Chiapas Governor Rutilio Escandon said that 49 people died at the spot and five more died while receiving medical treatment at a hospital.

More than 150 people, said to be Central American migrants, were crammed into the truck’s trailer when it rolled over.

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The truck was speeding when it overturned on a tight bend and collided with a pedestrian bridge on the main road heading to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the state capital of Chiapas.

Some 105 people, 83 men, and 22 women were also injured in the crash. Bodies of victims were seen strewn across the road close to the crashed truck.

Although their nationalities have not been confirmed yet, according to local officials, the majority of those on board are from Honduras and Guatemala.
Chiapas, the neighbour to the Guatamala, is a key transit hub for undocumented migrants.

It may be mentioned that every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants searching for an escape from extreme poverty and violence in Central America attempt to reach the United States through Mexico.

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Many of them pay smugglers known as ‘coyotes’ to transport them illegally in overcrowded and unsafe trucks on the long and dangerous trail.

Since 2014, when Mexico began massively expanding its immigration enforcement efforts at President Obama’s request, an increasing number of migrants have turned to smugglers, and crowding people into trailers with limited ventilation has become a widespread, and sometimes deadly, practice.

In 2019, another trailer carrying migrants crashed in Chiapas killing 23 people and injuring 33 others.

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