Three people died, including a Cuban, and five others from the island were injured after the van in which they were traveling collided with a trailer, the Guatemalan National Civil Police confirmed this Saturday. “The pilot and co-pilot, of Guatemalan origin, lost their lives after the impact.”
Regarding the Cuban migrant whose name was not disclosed, it was specified that he died while receiving medical care at the Chiquimula modular hospital, where he was transferred along with five other Cubans: 22-year-old Amelia Crespo, Reynier Planche Duran, Marcocelio León and Jorge Osmany García, all three 21 years old, and Diana Medina. “One of the patients is in critical condition,” reported the Guatemalan Migration Institute.
“The corresponding accompaniment will be given to attend to the victims of this traffic accident,” Immigration authorities reported, who verified that the victims were transferred by coyotes that would bring them closer to the border with Mexico.
The accident was recorded at kilometer 167 of the highway that crosses the department of Chiquimula, in eastern Guatemala. “As it was established, the driver of the van in which the migrants were traveling “lost control after colliding with a trailer.” The drivers of the trailer fled the scene of the accident.
Cubans were identified among the victims: Amelia Crespo, Reynier Planche Duran, Marcocelio León, Jorge Osmany García and Diana Medina.
In Mexico, the Secretary of the Navy confirmed that it helped five Cubans last Thursday in the waters of the Yucatan Canal, 80 kilometers northeast of the Isla Contoy national park. “The rafters were adrift in a boat” that was towed away.
The Cubans, who showed signs of dehydration, were taken to the Puerto Juárez naval station, located on the Yucatan Peninsula, to receive medical attention. They made it known that the boat’s engine had a problem and they intended to reach Isla Mujeres.
In the past week, seven Cubans were arrested in Cancun, in an operation led by sailors and municipal agents in the boulevard close to the Plaza Kukulcán shopping center. The rafters arrived in a boat with the name of the palmiche and license plate BB5543F, which they abandoned on Marlín beach.
According to official data, the Mexican state of Quintana Roo has become a route for the illegal entry of Cubans in recent years. Between October and December 2021, 29 rafters who arrived at Isla Mujeres were detained.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
