A plane carrying 175 Afghans, including journalists, activists and their families, arrived in Mexico Tuesday night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The plane, which was one of the last to leave Kabul before the withdrawal of American troops, brought the fourth group of Afghan civilians granted entry into Mexico on humanitarian grounds. In addition to journalists and activists, 75 children were on the flight.
An anonymous source told Reuters that the group included journalists from the Afghan news outlets TOLO TV and Arman FM radio. The social media company Facebook also provided support for the airlift of Afghan journalists to Mexico, Reuters reported.
Last week, a womens’ robotics team and other journalists were among the Afghan refugees who found safe haven in Mexico, after New York Times staff contacted Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, looking for a place to accept Afghan journalists and others.
The flight that carried refugees to Mexico City on Tuesday was the first time Egypt Air had flown to Mexico. The Foreign Ministry said the airlift was coordinated with help from the Mexican embassies in Iran, United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as the Egyptian government. Travel costs and accommodations for the refugees are being covered by private donors and nonprofits.
More Afghans are expected to arrive in Mexico in the coming days, the Foreign Ministry said.
With reports from Reuters
