On January 4, a 23-year-old Guatemalan migrant died and 81 others were injured when a truck crammed with Central American migrants flipped over in the state of Veracruz , on a highway that leads to the United States , according to local officials.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident near the city of San Andrés Tuxtla , about 515 kilometers from Mexico City, on the Carretera 180 highway that leads to Texas . The truck driver fled the scene.
“The majority (of the injured) were from Guatemala and others were Hondurans ,” Mexico’s National Guard said in a statement , without providing further details on the seriousness of the injuries.
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The majority of the injured Central American immigrants were taken to two nearby hospitals and a temporary shelter was opened to treat some of the injured.
Veracruz
is one of the states immigrants have to travel through as it borders with Tabasco and Tamaulipas . However, this is considered as a dangerous route because at least three criminal groups are disputing drug trafficking and immigration routes in the region.
In the least year, Mexican authorities have toughened their stance on migration and have implemented harsher measures against undocumented immigrants . Human rights advocates warned that Mexico’s tougher stance on immigration would drive migrants to rely on smugglers and unsafe modes of transport .
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