Police and rescue workers are seen at the scene of the crash in Tuxtla Gutierrez, state of Chiapas, Mexico, on Dec. 9. Photo: Sergio Hernandez/AFP via Getty Images
At least 53 people died Thursday after a tractor-trailer carrying over 100 migrants crashed in southern Mexico, according to Mexican authorities.
Driving the news: The trailer rolled over and ran into a pedestrian bridge in the state of Chiapas near Mexico's border with Guatemala. Most of the victims appear to be from Central America, per AP.
- The trailer appeared to tip over due to its speed and weight, AP reports. An additional 54 migrants were injured.
- Celso Pacheco, a Guatemalan migrant who survived the crash, told AP there were roughly eight to 10 young children aboard the trailer.
- Many of the migrants were from Guatemala and Honduras, said Pacheco. He'd hoped to travel to the U.S. but now expects to be deported.
What they're saying: "I'm deeply saddened by the tragedy caused by the overturning of a trailer in Chiapas carrying Central American migrants," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tweeted Thursday. "It is very painful. I offer a hug to the families of the victims."
- "I'm deeply saddened by the tragedy in Chiapas state, and I express my solidarity for the victims’ families, to whom we will offer all the necessary consular assistance, including repatriation," Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei tweeted.