Repatriate bodies of 15 Guatemalans who died in Mexico

The bodies of 15 migrants who died in a road accident in Chiapas, Mexico, were repatriated to Guatemala on Thursday. According to the authorities, in addition to the 37 Guatemalans who died, there are 27 hospitalized whose condition is serious.

On December 9, a trailer with more than 150 migrants on board – mostly Guatemalans – crashed on a highway in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, leaving 46 people dead at the scene and another seven who died in hospitals. More than 100 migrants were injured with minor and serious blows.

A Mexican army plane landed at noon in the Guatemalan Air Force. For more than 30 minutes, soldiers were lowering the coffins that were delivered to the families of the deceased.

“Today is a very sad day for Mexico, as we know it is for Guatemala. These people who were looking for a dream today return to rest in their land, “said Laura Elena Carrillo, director of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation, at a press conference, who assured that the authorities of her country continue to investigate the fact. .

According to the testimony of the migrants, the vehicle that crashed had passed through a registration post before the accident. They explained that the trailer was speeding and when they went through a curve it crashed into the base of a walkway, causing it to overturn.

The 15 bodies of the migrants who were repatriated this Thursday are mostly from the west of the country. Eight are originally from Quiché, two from Chimaltenango and one from the departments of Escuintla, Baja Verapaz, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango and Izabal.

Eduardo Hernández, Vice Chancellor of Guatemala in charge of immigration affairs, he explained that there are still 18 bodies of Guatemalans pending repatriation. He noted that it is working with migration of Mexico to streamline the process. The first four bodies arrived in the Central American country on December 18.

The official added that 74 Guatemalans were discharged from hospitals and were sent to nearby hotels for recovery, some abandoned the recovery process and continued their journey to the United States. Hernández added that 27 people are still hospitalized in serious and mild condition.

After receiving the bodies, the families moved to their hometowns to say goodbye to their loved ones. The burials are scheduled to take place on Friday, December 31.