Saturday, November 23, 2024

Attack on migrants in Sonora leaves 1 minor dead, 8 injured

An armed attack on a vehicle transporting migrants early Sunday morning left one child dead and eight adults injured in the northern border state of Sonora, according to the state’s Attorney General’s Office (FGJES).

The incident occurred near the Tubutama-Sáric highway junction around 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 18, when unknown assailants opened fire on a van carrying migrants.

The deceased minor was a boy from southern Mexico, officials said, and the wounded included Mexicans and people from Ecuador and Africa, according to the Associated Press, despite earlier reports that the victims were from Haiti.

After the attack, the surviving victims — five men and three women — sought refuge in nearby homes, fearing further violence. Later, the injured were transported to a nearby health center for treatment.

No age was given for the deceased minor.

A video of the van being hauled away shows that its windows were shattered and that it had been set on fire.

Matan a niño en ataque a migrantes en Tubutama, Sonora

“FGJES is conducting an investigation into the incident and is also carrying out a search operation in the area among the security forces in the state to find the whereabouts of the alleged perpetrators,” the government agency posted Sunday afternoon on the social media site X.

FGJES also noted it was “deploying security forces from all three levels of government,” including the National Defense Ministry (Sedena). “A coordinated operation involving ground and air support is underway.”

Local media speculated that the attack might be linked to a confrontation between rival criminal groups, potentially involving factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. However, official confirmation was pending.

As of early Monday afternoon, FGJES had not provided any updates on social media.

The incident occurred near the remote municipality of Tubutama, located in a sparsely populated region known for its rugged terrain about 50 kilometers from the U.S. border. The area is subjected to conflicts between criminal groups, largely due to its proximity to drug trafficking routes.

Last month, three migrants died and at least 14 were injured when a tractor-trailer overturned in southern Sonora.

With reports from Infobae, La Silla Rota, AP and El Universal

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
CJNG drug lord Cristian "El Guacho" Gutiérrez Ochoa poses for a photo holding a rooster

CJNG leader ‘El Guacho’ arrested in California after faking his own death

0
As prosecutors closed in on the cartel, one leader faked his death and fled to live in the U.S. under a new identity.
A group of migrants gather in the courtyard of a compound in Oaxaca, shortly after their rescue by government officials

174 migrants, including 41 minors, rescued in Oaxaca

0
Officials reported that some of those rescued were being held against their will.
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri, left, and rocker Sammy Hagar, right, holding boxes and a bottle of their brand of tequila, Santo as they pose for a publicity photo

Did someone steal 24,240 bottles of Guy Fieri’s tequila?

3
Details are still unclear, but what is known is that a delivery of US $385,000 of Santos tequila – a brand founded by Fieri and Sammy Hagar in 2017 – has vanished en route from Jalisco.