refugees
More than 200 migrants freed from trucks in Mexico
Migrants exit the truck in the presence of security forces – most of them are from Guatemala. photo
© Instituto Nacional de Migration/dpa
An abandoned truck has turned out to be a prison for 209 migrants from Central and South America. People were hidden in a tiny truck bed – including children.
209 migrants have been discovered in an abandoned truck in eastern Mexico. The people from Central and South America were freed from the vehicle near Nuevo Teapa in the state of Veracruz after calls for help were heard, the immigration service INM said. Children and young people were also among them. A migrant was taken to a hospital with symptoms of suffocation, the statement said.
Accordingly, an intermediate ceiling had been drawn into the closed loading area of the truck in order to be able to transport even more people. Most migrants came from Guatemala. People from Honduras, El Salvador and Ecuador were also in the truck.
Two weeks ago, 40 migrants died and almost 30 others were injured in a fire at an INM collection point in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez on the US border. The men were trapped and could not get to safety.
The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the case on suspicion of murder. Five officers and a migrant are being held in custody, and further arrest warrants are to follow. The migrant is said to have set mattresses on fire, starting the devastating fire. The officials, in turn, would not have provided any help.