More than 30 dead in a crash of a bus with migrants heading to the United States

First modification: 02/15/2023 – 15:39

At least 33 people died this Wednesday morning when they found themselves in a bus that collided with a minibus on a highway in Panama, while they were heading to the United States, reported the national director of Migration, Samira Gozaine.

“We have information on 33 people who have died at this time,” Gozaine said. Previously, the Panamanian president, Laurentino Cortizo, had reported a preliminary balance of 15 deaths via Twitter: “It is with great sadness that I receive the news of the traffic accident in Gualaca, Chiriquí (about 400 km west of the capital), in which 15 migrants lost their lives while being transported from the Darién (Colombian border) to the shelter located in this place,” he reported and later expressed his condolences for the unfortunate event.

There were 66 occupants in the vehicle, including the driver and the assistant, police chief of traffic operations Commissioner Emiliano Otero told reporters.

According to the authorities, so far the exact causes of the accident and the nationalities of the occupants of the bus are unknown.

However, local media have reported that the bus driver mistakenly failed to stop at the hostel near Gualaca where the travelers were supposed to rest before continuing to the Costa Rican border. After realizing this and turning around to go to that place, the bus collided with a minibus, causing the accident.

the migratory route

Thousands of irregular migrants arrive from Colombia walking through the exuberant jungle, where a section of the Pan-American highway has not yet been able to be built due to vegetation, rivers and swamps.

Many migrants die when crossing this jungle border 266 km long and 575,000 hectares in area. The route contains dangers such as wild animals, rushing rivers and criminal groups.

Despite the dangers and according to data from the Panamanian government, in 2022 248,000 people entered Panama through the Darién, a record number compared to the records of the previous year, when 133,000 migrants made the crossing.

They are mostly Venezuelans, although there are also Ecuadorians, Haitians and Cubans, as well as Africans and Asians.

The Panamanian government, in conjunction with different United Nations agencies and other international organizations, has set up several camps for humanitarian assistance to migrants.

The Panamanian authorities also facilitate the transfer of migrants in private buses to Paso Canoas, the border of the Inter-American route with Costa Rica.

with AFP