During his daily press conference on Monday, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) admitted that seven National Guard recruits drowned in an army training accident last February. The incident was considered the deadliest training accident in the history of Mexico's military.

According to the Associated Press, these drownings, which happened only last February 20, raised questions regarding AMLO's insistence that guard members receive military training and be under army command. This is despite the fact that they are not doing military work but civilian law enforcement work.

This also marked the first time that AMLO acknowledged that seven Mexico National Guard recruits died during that fatal February training exercise. In his statement to the media, he told reporters that "a total of 11 recruits had been swept away by the waves and four survived."

The incident happened on a beach near a military base in Ensenada, Baja California, and the deaths were revealed by a video posted by a support group of the victims' relatives. It showed dozens of cadets wearing full uniforms walking into the surf before a massive wave swept some of them away.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated during the press conference that the recruits "had their boots on, they're very heavy." This led to some of them drowning. He added that the commanding officer responsible for the recruits had already been detained.

"An investigation of the facts has been opened," he added. "We are very, very sorry."

Reports Indicated That Waves Were Strong When Mexico National Guard Recruits Drowned

The relatives of the recruits who drowned in Baja California questioned why they were ordered to wade into the Pacific as a local weather alert warned that there were rough seas and high waves. Meanwhile, the Defense Department of Mexico, as well as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador himself, previously refused to answer press questions about casualties.

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ABC News noted that the silence from the army was a reflection of their newfound power under AMLO, who has repeatedly insisted that only the armed forces are free from corruption despite the many reports that say otherwise. He even tried to hand complete control of the National Guard to the army, but this effort was unsuccessful.

In Mexico, the National Guard is used to perform anti-crime duties. However, they often do not make arrests as local police have argued that the military of these recruits leaves them ill-prepared to perform simple tasks like filling out arrest reports.

Van Crash Leaves 9 Dead in Mexico

Over at Mexico's Caribbean Coast, a deadly crash that happened in the state of Quintana Roo has resulted in the deaths of at least nine people. It happened early Monday morning in an area 75 miles from the resort town of Tulum.

According to the AP, the van collided with a truck before bursting into flames, killing nine people aboard, including three minors. Six others were seriously injured after that fatal crash.

It was noted that these vans typically serve as the most common form of public transport among the largely Mayan Indigenous towns in the area.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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