PANAMA (AP) — At least 39 migrants died and more than 20 were injured in the western Panamanian city of Gualaca on Wednesday when the bus they were traveling in to a shelter en route to the United States States have fallen over a precipice.
It is the worst road accident since the Central American country authorized the transfer by bus of migrants crossing the dangerous Darien jungle, on the border with Colombia, to a border shelter with Costa Rica so that they can continue on their way to North America.
The accident happened after the establishment of a record number of irregular migration flows last year through the Darien jungle and other parts of this province, with the passage of nearly 250,000 foreigners, mainly Venezuelans and Ecuadorians. So far in 2023, 37,000 have already crossed, including Haitian, Cuban, African and Asian migrants, authorities say.
For the moment, the nationalities of the deceased migrants have not been communicated. In Cuba, the Foreign Minister of this Caribbean nation, Bruno Rodríguez, regretted the accident on his Twitter account and pointed out that Cuban citizens were among the victims.
Samira Gozaine, director of the National Migration Service, told reporters that the bus driver apparently missed the entrance to the shelter and as he turned to get back to the highway in the late morning, and in the middle of a fog , fell on a slope before hitting another passenger bus in this area, located about 459 kilometers west of the Panamanian capital.
There were 66 passengers on the bus. The injured, including 10 minors – three of them in serious condition – were taken to nearby hospitals, Dr. Johnny Parra, from a children’s hospital in the area, told local press.
“This news is unfortunate for Panama and for the region”, tweeted President Laurentino Cortizo, who sent his condolences to the relatives of the deceased and expressed his “commitment to continue providing humanitarian aid and decent conditions to face the irregular migration”.
The damaged bus was one of those authorized daily by immigration authorities to transport migrants to the Los Planes shelter, from where they continue north across the border into Costa Rica. Migrants pay their transfer fare on these buses, which are usually accompanied by two drivers and staff from the National Immigration Service.
In the middle of last year, some buses carrying migrants were damaged when they were attacked by people blocking the international Pan-American highway during anti-government protests, with no injuries. So far, reports of migrants dying while transiting through Panama have involved accidents while transiting on foot or by boat through the Darien jungle and rivers.
Many towns in this province are accessible only by air and sea. Due to its proximity to Colombia, it is considered an area for drug and human trafficking.