MEXICO CITY, OCT 4 – Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, today announced the arrest of several military personnel involved in a shooting incident that killed six migrants on a highway in Chiapas, south of the country.
In the incident, four migrants died at the scene on Tuesday night while riding in a vehicle, while 12 others were injured, with two of them dying in hospital.
Meanwhile, 17 other victims were reported to have survived without any injuries.
“This incident is very regrettable and needs to be investigated and punished accordingly,” said Sheinbaum in a daily press conference.
He also informed that the soldiers who opened fire are now in the custody of the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, which will investigate the incident in detail to determine the party responsible.
According to Sheinbaum, the government is also in contact with the embassies of the migrant’s country of origin to provide support to the families of the victims.
The incident happened on the Villa Comaltitlan-Huixtla Highway, where the army was conducting a ‘land patrol’ at the time.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday, military personnel spotted a truck that was speeding and trying to evade inspection at the checkpoint.
The army also claimed that there were two other vehicles that resembled the type often used by criminals, accompanying the truck. After hearing the explosion, two soldiers opened fire and managed to stop one of the vehicles.
A total of 33 migrants from various countries, including Egypt, Nepal, Cuba, India and Pakistan, were identified as being in the vehicle involved in the incident, according to local media reports. – Xinhua
