Families of Guatemalan Migrants Involved in Deadly Truck Crash in Mexico Demand Answers, Seek Help
Families of Guatemalan migrants awaiting word on the fate of their loved ones involved in a deadly truck accident in southern Mexico want answers.
According to Al Jazeera, the Guatemalan families said they get few answers from the government as they desperately seek information about their relatives.
Last week, at least 55 people, mostly from Guatemala, died after a cargo truck rolled over and crashed into a pedestrian bridge on the main road leading to Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas state. More than 50 people were also injured.
The father of Domingo Yobani Raymundo Mateo, 18, who was killed in the crash, told Reuters that they only learned about his son's death from their son's friend.
"A friend of my son who traveled with him survived and he informed us that Domingo was dead," said the victim's father, Pedro Raymundo Caba.
Domingo's mother pleaded for help in bringing back his son's body in Chajul town in Guatemala so they could bury him there. She said their government still does not tell them anything and does not answer their calls.
"What we need is help so that Domingo's body can return home to bury here in Chajul," said Domingo's mother, Teresa Mateo Mendoza.
The mother of Elias Salvador Mateo Tiniguar, another Guatemalan migrant who also died in the crash, also sought information about her son.
Dominga Tiniguar noted that they still do not know if his son is dead or alive, adding that they only saw him in a photo from the truck accident lying on the ground.
"They give me no information. They don't answer the phone... Help me find my son," Tiniguar said.
Guatemala has yet to publicly identify the 55 people who were killed.
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Family Member of a Guatemala Victim Says Accidents Involving Migrants Usually Occurs
Lucrecia Alba, the wife of Celso Escun Pacheco, who was among the dozens of people injured, said a number of deadly incidents involving migrants had already occurred.
"It is not the first time that an accident of this type has happened. I believe that no government is interested in the high risks because this has happened many times," Alba said as Reuters reported.
Alba's uncle, Santos Juan Alba, urged the governments of Guatemala and Mexico to raise awareness about the dangerous route to the U.S.
"Migrants need more security on the road... People are leaving because there are no opportunities here," he noted.
Extortionists Demand Money in Exchange Information to Guatemala Families
The Associated Press reported that families of the Guatemalan migrants involved in the truck accident become targets of extortionists.
A Guatemalan family, who had published a phone number on social media hoping to get information about their missing relative, said a Mexican phone number was demanding $3,000 if they wanted to see their loved one again.
The family, who requested anonymity, shared with an AP reporter a screen capture showing the message.
"We're scared... It says there are 40 kidnapped. We don't know if my brother could be there," a family member said.
Officials in Mexico said more than 100 people, believed to be migrants, crammed into the truck's trailer as it sped along the highway. Authorities noted that the weight of the truck's human cargo might have triggered the accident.
The incident smashed open the container due to the impact of the crash. The truck was reportedly used for transporting perishable goods.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Dozens Of Migrants Killed In Devastating Truck Crash In Mexico - From NBC News