Tragedy in Panama: at least 39 people die after a bus with migrants fell off a cliff

At least 39 people died this Wednesday in Panama, including Cubans, when a bus carrying migrants crossed the jungle. Darienborder with Colombiarolled off the embankment.

“According to preliminary information (…) it is indicated that 39 people, unfortunately, died,” the message says. National Migration Service in a statement, which also states that the victims, without specifying their number, are being treated in various hospitals.

A bus carrying 66 passengers was carrying migrants from Darien, a dangerous jungle bordering Colombiato a shelter in gualakain the province of tweetsapproximately 400 km west of Panama cityon the border with Costa Rica.

“This news is unfortunate for Panama and the region. The National Government expresses its condolences to the families of those killed in this accident and reaffirms its commitment to continue providing humanitarian assistance and decent conditions to combat illegal migration,” the President tweeted. Panamanian, Laurentino Cortiso.

Late

The Cuban foreign minister tweeted that “Cubans” were among the dead. Bruno Rodriguezwho expressed “sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the unfortunate accident.”

“Cuba reaffirms its continued commitment to legal, safe and orderly migration,” Rodriguez added.

A broken bus is one of those that Government The Panamanian was commissioned to transport migrants from the southern border to the north of the country. Ticket price is $40.

“Preliminary reports show us that the driver passed the entrance to the shelter and that when he turned around he was involved in an accident, the causes of which are being investigated,” the immigration director told reporters. Samira Gozain.

The director of the José Domingo de Obaldia Mother and Child Hospital, Joni Parra, said that 10 children aged 4 to 11 were admitted to this hospital, located in the city of David, Chiriqui province, about 50 kilometers from the accident.

“Of these 10 children, three are in critical condition,” he said.

According to local media, the bus left the road at a bend and plunged into a ravine, where it collided with a large rock and a minibus parked on the road below.

“The bus fell on a rock and crashed into my bus, it looks like its brakes failed,” he told local media. Edgar Guerraone of the two passengers of the minibus.

“We foresaw this, threw ourselves under the seats, the driver and I, and nothing happened to us because of this,” he added.

migration record

jungle Darien became a corridor for illegal migration from South America to USA through Central America.

This natural border, 266 km long and covering an area of ​​575,000 hectares, is fraught with dangers such as wild animals, raging rivers and criminal gangs.

Despite this, and according to Panamanian government figures, 248,000 people entered Panama through the Darien in 2022, most of them Venezuelans, a figure that cancels out the previous year’s record of 133,000 migrants.

After the accident, Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino reported that 37,000 people had entered the country via the Darien.

At least 60 migrants died along this route in 2022, according to official figures, and in 2021 this figure exceeded fifty deaths.

“It’s part of the risk”

Due to the large number of migrants crossing the jungle, the Panamanian government, together with various United Nations agencies and other international organizations, has built several shelters in Darien.

In these centers they receive humanitarian aid, food and various medical and social services, and then they are transferred to a shelter in Gualac, on the border with Costa Rica.

Every day, hundreds of migrants are transferred from the south to the north of the country along a 700-kilometer route that can take 10 hours.

“This traffic accident is unfortunate, these are people who are looking for better living conditions. […]but that’s part of the risk” of this journey, Gozain told Telemetro.

(According to AFP)