Dec 9, 2021 - World

Crash involving trailer carrying migrants in Mexico kills 53

Shawna Chen

Photo of Mexican police and rescue workers at the scene of a truck crash — 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.

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Crash involving trailer carrying migrants in Mexico kills 53

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