Chiapas, Mexico- 54 died and 105 were injured after a fully loaded caravan with people overturned on Thursday.
“After the accident that occurred in Chiapa de Corzo, I inform you that unfortunately 49 people died at the scene and 5 more died while receiving medical attention in hospitals,” wrote Chiapas Gov. Rutilio Escandón on Twitter. “We have 105 injured (83 men and 22 women), care for the injured continues.”
Civil Protection Chiapas later revealed the cause of the tragedy saying, “it was the result of a “car accident of two trucks traveling on the Belisario Domínguez Bridge and Ribera Cauharé in Chiapa de Corzo.”
After the accident, Celso Pacheco of Guatemala said it seemed like the truck was going fast and lost control and resulted in the incident. He further said the majority of the travelers were from Honduras and Guatemala and dozens of them were children.
“I deeply regret the tragedy caused by the overturning of a trailer in Chiapas carrying Central American migrants. It’s very painful. I embrace the families of the victims,” Tweeted Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the president of Mexico.
Right after the incident when the workers arrive, they began removing containers from the truck’s trailer that collided with the migrant’s caravan in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico.
Images from the area of the incident showed people scattered on the ground and lying on tarps to receive medical treatment. While the deceased were aligned side by side in white shrouds.
In a video that was broadcast live from the location, a woman was holding her baby weeping and both of them were covered in blood. While another video showed a man stuck in the trailer as its wreck curled up and saw the authorities attempting to release him.
National Institute of Immigration of Mexico confirmed the accident news on Twitter, saying it “regrets the death of migrants in the tragic accident that occurred in Chiapas.”
If further said to work with state, national and municipal authorities for consular assistance, funeral expenses, bodies identification, and repatriation of deceaseds’ remains to their countries.
“Humanitarian attention that will be granted to the survivors will be accommodation, food and in case they accept, Visitor Cards for Humanitarian Reasons,” the institute documented.”The INM will assist in the investigation of the accident.”
As per the current reports received, the migrant travelers were from Central America.
