A fire has broken out at an immigration center in northern Mexico near the US border. The incident is reported to have happened late Monday night at an immigration center in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas. According to reports, around 40 migrants were killed and 30 people are said to be injured in this incident. This number may also increase further.
Significantly, Ciudad Juárez is a major crossing point for immigrants going to the United States. The centers located here hold asylum seekers in the United States pending a decision on their requests. The center where the incident of fire has come to light was also similar.
‘The country’s prosecutor general has initiated an investigation’, Andrea Chávez, federal deputy of Ciudad Juarez, said in a statement on Facebook. Consular teams were also being engaged to identify the deceased, officials said.
The newspaper Diario de Juarez quoted unnamed sources in the Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office as saying ambulances, firefighters and vans were at the scene. Relief and rescue work is going on. According to the newspaper, the injured people have been admitted to four hospitals. Some media reports also say that Mexico’s Attorney General’s office has opened an investigation and investigators are at the scene.
‘The country’s prosecutor general has initiated an investigation’, Andrea Chávez, federal deputy of Ciudad Juarez, said in a statement on Facebook. Consular teams were also being engaged to identify the deceased, officials said.
