SIX migrants travelling in a pickup truck died after Mexican soldiers fired on the vehicle after it had tried to evade a military patrol, Mexico’s defence ministry said on Wednesday.

A group of 33 migrants, including Egyptian, Nepalese, Cuban, Indian and Pakistanis, were in the truck when the incident took place around 8:30pm on Tuesday near the town of Huixtla, in Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas, according to local media.

Chiapas, a restive state gripped by the war between the Sinaloa and the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels, is the main entry point for migrants from Central and South America trying to reach the US.

According to Mexican daily El Pais, the migrants were hiding in the truck when it encountered an army patrol.

The defence minister claimed that the soldiers chased the pickup truck, which was followed by two vehicles. The patrol reported hearing explosions, after which two officers opened fire.

Four migrants were killed at the scene, while two others died later in hospital. While the official statement did not disclose the nationalities of the deceased migrants, El Pais reported that five of them were “Arabs” and one Salvadoran.

As per the defence ministry, two soldiers have been “separated from their duties” pending an investigation by a military tribunal.

The ministry added that it was coordinating with Mexico’s foreign ministry to contact the respective embassies.

The recently elected Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, condemned the shooting and vowed to punish the culprits.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2024