At least 16 migrants from Venezuela and Haiti died early Friday in a bus crash in southern Mexico, according to authorities. Mexico’s National Immigration Institute initially reported 18 dead, but later revised the figure. Prosecutors in the state of Oaxaca later confirmed that the death toll was 16 due to some of the bodies being dismembered. The victims included two women and three children, and 29 people were injured, with no immediate information on their condition.
Photos from the scene showed the bus rolled over onto its side on a curvy section of highway in the state of Oaxaca. The cause of the crash in the town of Tepelmeme, near the border with the state of Puebla, is currently under investigation.
The National Immigration Institute stated that a total of 55 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, were on board the bus. This incident adds to a series of migrant deaths in Mexico amid a surge in illegal immigrants heading toward the U.S. border. Due to the risk of migration agents raiding regular buses, migrants and smugglers often resort to unsafe forms of transportation like unregulated buses, trains, or freight trucks.
Just last week, 10 Cuban migrants died and 17 were seriously injured after the freight truck they were traveling in crashed in the state of Chiapas, near the Guatemala border. All of the deceased Cuban migrants were women, including one who was underage. The driver of the truck fled the scene after apparently speeding and losing control of the vehicle.
Migrants without proper documents are generally prohibited by Mexican authorities from buying tickets for regular buses, leading them to rely on poorly-driven and poorly-maintained buses that attempt to avoid being stopped. Alternatively, some migrants walk along highways and hitch rides with passing trucks. Tragically, last week, two Central American migrants died while attempting to board a moving train in the state of Coahuila, near the Texas border. Additionally, a truck accident in Chiapas claimed the lives of two Central American migrants and injured 27 others.