Mexican soldiers kill six after opening fire on truck carrying migrants

Rights groups warn that migrants and asylum seekers journeying north through Mexico often experience violence.

The Mexican military has revealed that soldiers opened fire this week on a truck carrying dozens of migrants, killing six people.

Mexico’s Ministry of Defence announced in a press release on Wednesday that the incident took place near the town of Huixtla in the southern state of Chiapas the evening before, on October 1.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, “military personnel identified 33 migrants of Egyptian, Nepalese, Cuban, Indian, Pakistani and Arab nationality, of whom 4 had died, 12 injured and 17 unharmed”, according to the press release.

It added that two more people died after being transported to a local hospital.

The shooting took place about 41km (25 miles) from the city of Tapachula on the border with Guatemala, an area where many migrants and asylum seekers begin their perilous journey north through Mexico.

Immigrant rights groups say that violence and abuse at the hands of Mexican law enforcement and criminal groups are common.

The Defence Ministry says that the two soldiers who opened fire have been removed from their posts. The case has been referred to federal prosecutors as well as the military’s own tribunal.

The incident reportedly took place at around 8:50pm on Tuesday (02:50 GMT, Wednesday), when soldiers noticed a pick-up-like vehicle moving at a high speed.

The press release explains the truck “evaded military personnel” and was followed by two vehicles similar to those used by criminal groups in the area. The two soldiers opened fire after “hearing detonations”, the Defence Ministry said without offering further details.

The military said it is working with Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with embassies representing the countries of the victims. The 17 migrants uninjured in the shooting have been handed over to Mexican migration authorities.

Critics say migrants and asylum seekers making the journey north towards the United States often pay the price of escalating law enforcement efforts.

The US government has pushed Mexico to increase enforcement efforts to stem irregular migration northwards, though the issue has been a point of tension between the two countries.

Former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, for instance, criticised US efforts to build a wall along the two countries’ shared border.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has also moved to restrict access to asylum along the border with Mexico, a move widely denounced by immigrant rights groups.

Last year, the International Organization for Migration named the path to the US-Mexico border the “deadliest land route for migrants worldwide”, citing risks from the environment and criminal groups, among other threats.