Survivors recall horror of Mexico truck crash that killed 55

By MANUEL DE LA CRUZ and EDGAR H. CLEMENTE

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico (AP) — Survivors of the horrific motortruck clang successful Mexico that killed 55 migrants and injured much than a 100 recounted from their infirmary beds however their determination wrong the motortruck determined who lived and who died.

Those unlucky capable to beryllium riding jammed against the fragile walls of the freight instrumentality astir surely died, survivors said. Those successful the mediate of the packed radical survived, cushioned by their chap migrants arsenic the instrumentality flipped onto the road.

“The ones who died were the ones who were up against the walls of the trailer,” said 1 young migrant from Guatemala, who was being treated for a breached limb astatine a section hospital. “Thank God, we were successful the middle, but the ones connected the sides, they died.”

The migrant, who did not privation to springiness his sanction due to the fact that helium did not person due documents successful Mexico, described a gruesome country of screaming and humor successful the moments aft the motortruck crashed into the basal of a alloy pedestrian span Thursday evening. He said astir 250 migrants were connected board.

First, the surviving had to extricate themselves from the tangled heap of dormant and dying bodies.

“They fell connected apical of me, determination were similar 2 oregon 3 chap migrants connected apical of me,” the younker said.

Then came the grim task of trying to propulsion the wounded out.

“When I got out, different chap migrant was shouting,” the subsister said. “He was shouting to me, I pulled astatine him and got him retired and enactment him connected the broadside of the road, but helium died.”

The younker said the truck’s driver, whose whereabouts are unknown, had entered a crisp curve astatine a precocious complaint of velocity and mislaid control.

It was 1 of the deadliest days for migrants successful Mexico since the 2010 massacre of 72 radical by the Zetas cause cartel successful the bluish authorities of Tamaulipas.

While the Mexican authorities is trying to appease the United States by stopping caravans of walking migrants and allowing the reinstatement of the “Remain successful Mexico” policy, it has been incapable to stanch the flood of migrants stuffed by the hundreds into trucks operated by smugglers who complaint thousands of dollars to instrumentality them to the U.S. borderline — trips that each excessively often pb them lone to their deaths.

The caput of Mexico’s National Guard, Luis Rodriguez Bucio, said the motortruck had someway managed to debar passing done immoderate of the roadside checkpoints operated by the Guard and migration authorities to drawback specified smuggling operations.

Sitting stunned beside the overturned trailer moments aft the crash, migrant Celso Pacheco of Guatemala said the motortruck felt similar it was speeding and past seemed retired of control.

Most aboard were from Guatemala and Honduras, helium said, estimating 8 to 10 young children among them. He said helium was trying to scope the United States but present expects to beryllium deported to Guatemala. Authorities said migrants from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Mexico were besides aboard.

Those who spoke to survivors said they told of boarding the motortruck successful Mexico, adjacent the borderline with Guatemala, and of paying betwixt $2,500 and $3,500 to beryllium taken to Mexico’s cardinal authorities of Puebla. Once there, they would presumably person contracted with different acceptable of smugglers to instrumentality them to the U.S. border.

Andrés, a migrant from Izabal, Guatemala, said helium and his brother-in-law had decided unneurotic to marque the unsafe travel northbound to the United States. Andrés was tossed from the motortruck arsenic it rolled and broke apart; his brother-in-law died successful the wreckage.

“We made the determination to travel together, and we cheered each different on,” Andrés said. “But now, it’s unspeakable he’s not going to travel backmost with maine alive.”

Despite the cautionary tale, much migrants continued connected the determination toward the United States. On Thursday, aft the accident, a radical of astir 400 chiefly Central American migrants walked down a road starring to Mexico City, ignoring entreaties from migration agents and National Guard troops to crook themselves in. They

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the poorness and deficiency of jobs that unit radical to migrate.

“We person been insisting that the causes that originate these unfortunate events indispensable beryllium addressed,” said López Obrador, who said helium has been pressing the U.S. authorities to put successful improvement programs for Central America. López Obrador said the U.S. authorities is moving dilatory connected the issue.

After the clang successful the confederate authorities of Chiapas, the astir severely injured from the mishap were carried to integrative sheets connected the road. Those who could locomotion were led, stunned, to the aforesaid sheets. Ambulances, cars and pickup trucks were pressed into ferrying the injured to hospitals. Later, the dormant were covered successful achromatic sheets, broadside by side, connected the highway.

Rescue workers said different migrants who had been connected the motortruck erstwhile it crashed fled for fearfulness of being detained by migration agents. One paramedic said immoderate of those who hurried into surrounding neighborhoods were bloodied oregon bruised but inactive limped distant successful their desperation to escape.

Pope Francis, who visited Chiapas successful 2015 and has made the plight of migrants a hallmark of his papacy, sent a telegram of condolences Friday to the archbishop of Tuxtla Gutierrez, offering prayers for the dormant and their families, and for the injured.

In October, successful 1 of the largest busts successful caller memory, authorities successful the bluish borderline authorities of Tamaulipas recovered 652 chiefly Central American migrants jammed into a convoy of six cargo trucks heading toward the U.S. border.

Migrants progressive successful superior accidents are often allowed to enactment successful Mexico astatine slightest temporarily due to the fact that they are considered witnesses to and victims of a crime, and Mexico’s National Immigration Institute said it would connection humanitarian visas to the survivors.

The bureau besides said the Mexican authorities volition assistance place the dormant and screen ceremonial costs oregon repatriation of the remains.