Anxiety high in Guatemala over victims of Mexico truck crash

2 years ago 259

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ – Anxiety was precocious Saturday successful Guatemala amid uncertainty astir loved ones who mightiness person been connected the tractor-trailer that crashed successful confederate Mexico portion jammed with smuggled migrants, sidesplitting 55 radical and injuring much than 100.

Most of those connected the motortruck are believed to person been from Guatemala, according to authorities, who are moving to place the dormant from Thursday's catastrophe successful Mexico's Chiapas state.

Victor Manuel Mateo Tiniguar, who lives successful an Indigenous country of the bluish Guatemalan section of Quiché, said Saturday that helium is convinced his member was among the victims.

“My member was successful the accident,” Mateo Tiniguar said, adding that helium is definite 1 of the men shown successful photographs from the mishap country was his brother, Elias. “Yes, it was him. He was lying down, but we don’t cognize if helium was gravely injured oregon dead.”

Mateo Tiniguar and his household unrecorded successful a location successful the little portion of a ravine successful the mediocre colony of Chepol. With nary enactment and small money, they scratched to bargain immoderate clip for a cellphone truthful they could hunt the net for information. They clung to the anticipation that Elias Salvador was live and that helium was 1 of the 3 injured migrants who are inactive unidentified.

But 2 days aft the tragedy, they unrecorded successful anguish due to the fact that they cannot shingle the fearfulness that helium is among the dead.

The bodies of the 55 migrants who mislaid their lives are scattered successful 3 morgues portion Mexican and Guatemalan officials enactment connected identifications.

A forensic work worker, who insisted connected speaking anonymously due to the fact that helium was not authorized to springiness statements to the press, told The Associated Press successful the Chiapas superior of Tuxtla Gutierrez that the morgue determination had to inquire for assistance due to the fact that it did not person capable capacity.

The process is being analyzable and dilatory due to the fact that galore of the bodies did not person identifications and others are successful mediocre condition, said a Chiapas authorities official, who besides agreed to sermon the substance lone if not quoted by sanction due to the fact that helium was not authorized to talk publicly.

Although immoderate of the injured reported they were accompanied by relatives oregon friends, galore are inactive not good capable to spot if they tin place immoderate of the dead, the authoritative added.

Guatemalan authorities person made respective phones disposable to citizens, and Mexican officials accidental relatives of six victims person already travel to Mexico.

But successful Quiché and different mediocre areas of Guatemala, answers are lacking.

Mateo Tiniguar said his member Elias had near location Wednesday with a alteration of apparel successful an aged backpack. The would-be migrant did not wage for his trip, but went into indebtedness for astir $12,000 that helium had to wage if helium managed to participate the United States, the member said.

He said Elias didn't archer anyone other helium was leaving. He said his member felt they had to bash thing to get retired of their poverty, particularly since their begetter had a changeable and needs medicine.

“My young kid near to beryllium capable to bargain my husband’s medicine,” said Dominga Tiniguar, parent of the missing man.

Hundreds of radical are estimated to migrate from Guatemala each day, driven retired by the Central American country's utmost poverty. The astir 3 cardinal Guatemalans surviving successful the United States person sustained their homeland during the pandemic, sending back.$11 billion, which is simply a small much than 14% of the country's economy, the cardinal slope says.

Mateo Tiniguar said nary of his 9 brothers learned to work and write. Their father, who shined shoes successful Guatemala City, couldn’t gain capable to nonstop them to school. He said his member felt helium had an accidental erstwhile a migrant smuggler offered to assistance him find a occupation successful Chicago that would wage much than the $5 helium could gain regular connected farming tasks successful his community.

A neighbor, Martín Méndez, was different migrant from Chepol who was successful the doomed trailer, but suffered lone insignificant injuries, bittersweet his brother, Pedro.

Many of those who died were glued to the walls of the shattered trailer. Those who were successful the halfway were saved, protected by the bodies of their companions.

About 40 of the survivors were successful Mexican hospitals with “multiple bruises.” About 20 much had bony fractures, particularly successful arms and wrists, suggesting they tried to cushion the unit of the interaction erstwhile the trailer crowded with migrants overturned and crashed into a pedestrian bridge.

Others had much superior conditions: encephalon injuries oregon interior damage, often with the chest, abdomen oregon pelvis crushed. The unit of the clang deed the migrants against each other, pushed them against the alloy walls of the truck’s container and threw immoderate onto the asphalt.

Méndez has worked with Mateo Tiniguar to hunt assorted online media for accusation astir Elias. The men said Méndez's injured member had reported seeing Elias aft the accident. “He says helium saw him, but helium was earnestly hurt. He was nary longer speaking,” Mateo Tiniguar said.

Mexican and Guatemalan officials accidental they are investigating the web of traffickers that operated the trailer, 1 of the routes done which thousands of migrants transverse Mexico regular to the borderline with the United States contempt attempts by governments successful the portion to incorporate the flows.

Authorities besides are moving to expedite assistance to the injured and supply assistance with recognition papers. Mexico besides has offered humanitarian visas to survivors who privation to enactment successful Mexico.

For relatives, the urgent happening is to larn the destiny of their loved ones.

“I privation you to delight assistance maine look for him, whether helium is live oregon dead,” said Mateo Tiniguar.

Mendez added that they person discussed the anticipation of traveling to Mexico to look for their relatives. “Maybe idiosyncratic tin assistance us,” helium said.

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Associated Press writer Sonia Perez D. reported this communicative successful Chepol, Guatemala, and AP writer Manuel de la Cruz reported from Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico.

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