53 migrants dead, 54 injured in truck crash in south Mexico

By MANUEL DE LA CRUZ and EDGAR H. CLEMENTE
Associated Press

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico (AP) — Mexican authorities say at least 53 people are dead and dozens more injured after a cargo truck carrying people who appeared to be Central American migrants rolled over and crashed in southern Mexico. The Attorney General’s Office says the preliminary estimate lists 53 dead and three critically injured. There may have been close to 150 migrants aboard the truck. It is not unusual for freight trucks in Mexico to be carrying so many people in migrant-smuggling operations. The crash occurred Thursday on a highway leading toward the Chiapas state capital. Photos from the scene show victims strewn across the pavement and inside the truck’s freight compartment.