MEXICO CITY: Mexico began returning the bodies of 40 migrants who died in a fire at a detention centre in the northern city of Juarez, the government said.
According to AFP, a statement from Mexico’s security ministry, one victim’s body was sent to Colombia, while seven El Salvadorean citizens’ remains were being transported overland.
According to the the news agency, relatives of six deceased Honduran migrants were working to identify the bodies, while the bodies of 11 Guatemalan migrants were slated to be flown out the following week.
According to the Mexican ministry, specialized fingerprint personnel from Venezuela were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday to begin work on victim identification.
In the fire last month, 39 individuals perished, including 18 Guatemalans, 7 Salvadorans, 7 Venezuelans, 6 Hondurans, and 1 Colombian. A 40th victim, whose nationality is unknown, died after being taken to hospital.
The ministry statement said five people were severely injured, and another nine were transferred to specialized hospitals in Mexico City due to the seriousness of their conditions.
An inquiry into the homicide that occurred in the fire has led to the detention of three immigration officials and a private security guard.
Officials charged the facility’s managers with failing to arrange the prisoners’ evacuation.
Last month, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador warned that those found accountable would receive “no impunity.”
