Mexico rescues migrants crammed into truck in 'subhuman' conditions
Mexican authorities say they've
rescued 94 migrants who were crammed into
the back of a hauling truck in "subhuman
conditions."
They came from as far away as Nepal and as
nearby as Guatemala, paying thousands of
dollars to get to the United States,
authorities said. Seven of them were minors.
They showed symptoms of asphyxiation and
serious lesions on their hands and feet when
they were rescued, Mexico's National
Migration Institute said.
X-ray equipment detected the migrants at a
checkpoint in the southern Mexican state of
Chiapas early Tuesday morning.
The driver of the truck has been turned over
to prosecutors on suspicion of human
trafficking, and the migrants are receiving
medical, psychological and legal assistance,
Chiapas state prosecutors said in a
statement.
Photos released by local police show migrants
sitting on the ground as an official toting a
stethoscope tends to them. It was not
immediately clear where the migrants would
go.
The group included 45 Guatemalans, 23
Salvadorans, 10 Nepalese and 9 Bangladeshis
and 7 Hondurans, authorities said.
"The migrants had paid different amounts
for the transport, according to their
nationality," the migration institute said. "In
the case of the Central Americas, the tariff
was between $4,000 and $5,000, and the
Asians from $6,000 to $8,000."
Last week, Mexican authorities rescued 81
migrants they said were held captive in the
border city of Reynosa .
And in June, authorities said they rescued
165 migrants who were kidnapped as they
tried to cross into the United States.
Experts say many migrants passing through
Mexico on their way to the United States are
victims of violence along the Mexico-U.S.
border, but the journey is perilous from the
moment it begins. And the danger has grown
as Mexico's drug gangs expand their reach.
