MADRID, 15 (EUROPA PRESS9 At least 39 migrants died Wednesday in Panama after the bus they were traveling in fell off a cliff in the town of Gualaca, in the province of Chiriqui, located in the west of the Central American country.
According to Panama’s Ministry of Public Security, the bus had 66 passengers on board, more than half of whom died. The numerous injured are being treated in different health centers in the area.
According to the head of the Chiriqui Fire Department, Gonzalo Chan, the rest of the passengers on the bus were injured, including twelve minors, according to the local newspaper ‘La Prensa’.
For her part, the director of the Migration Service, Samira Gozaine, detailed that «the bus driver missed the entrance and turned around to return to the shelter», at which time he collided with another vehicle and fell down a slope.
Preliminary information suggests that the bus may have left from the province of Darien, located in the extreme east of Panama and where the so-called Darien Gap is located, a jungle area known for its dangerous migratory routes from South America.
In fact, the Minister of Public Security, Juan Manuel Pino, has highlighted the «constant flow» of migrants through the Darien Gap, which has already seen 37,000 migrants cross to the United States in just the month and a half so far this year.
For his part, the Panamanian president, Laurentino Cortizo, has launched a publication on his official profile on the social network Twitter where he has conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims and has guaranteed all the necessary attention to the injured.
Later, Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, confirmed on Twitter that among the group of migrants there were several Cuban citizens, and conveyed his condolences to the families and relatives of the victims.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
