Six migrants have died after Mexican soldiers opened fire on a vehicle carrying 33 people in southern Mexico.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, roughly 25 miles (40 km) north of the Guatemala border. According to the Mexican defense ministry, 10 others were injured during the shooting.
The defense ministry explained that the soldiers saw the migrants’ pick-up truck traveling at high speed and attempting to evade a military patrol. Soldiers reported hearing explosions before two officers opened fire. The ministry confirmed that the officers involved have been relieved of their duties while an investigation is carried out.
This incident comes amid increasing pressure from the United States on Mexico to control the number of migrants moving through the country en route to the U.S. border.
A police report detailing the events in the southern state of Chiapas noted that the vehicle failed to stop at an army checkpoint, prompting the soldiers to pursue it. The soldiers fired gunshots to stop the vehicle, but the driver veered off onto a dirt road in an attempt to escape, ultimately losing control of the truck.
The defense ministry identified the migrants as coming from Egypt, Nepal, Cuba, India, and Pakistan. However, it did not specify the nationalities of those who died. Four of the migrants were killed at the scene, while two more died in the hospital after being among the 12 wounded. The remaining 17 survivors have been handed over to immigration authorities.
Officials confirmed that federal prosecutors have been notified, and a military tribunal will conduct an investigation into the case. The defense ministry pledged to “act in strict accordance with the rule of law, under a policy of zero-impunity, and ready to help the civil authorities to shed light on the facts.”
Each year, thousands of migrants travel through Mexico, often in overcrowded trucks, buses, or on freight trains, hoping to reach the U.S. border. However, their journeys are fraught with dangers, including fatal accidents, kidnappings by criminal groups, and extortion by corrupt officials.
In a related tragedy in December 2021, a people-smugglers’ lorry overturned in Chiapas, killing 56 mostly Central American migrants.
