2 sisters from Egypt were among those killed in Mexican army shooting

TAPACHULA, Mexico — 

An 11-year-old Egyptian miss and her 18-year-old sister were among those killed aft Mexican service troops opened occurrence connected a motortruck carrying migrants earlier this week, an authoritative said Friday.

The sisters, and 4 different migrants from countries including Peru and Honduras, were killed Tuesday successful the confederate authorities of Chiapas.

An authoritative successful the state’s prosecutor's bureau confirmed the recognition of the 2 sisters and said their begetter was wounded successful the shooting but survived.

Federal officials, including recently inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum, again refused Friday to corroborate the ages oregon genders of the six migrants killed successful the shooting, which occurred connected Sheinbaum’s archetypal time successful office.

Soldiers claimed they heard shots and returned fire, and officials person studiously avoided saying the migrants were killed by service gunfire. However, that appears to beryllium the case, and 2 soldiers person been relieved of work and turned implicit to civilian prosecutors for questioning.

The killings placed successful uncertainty Sheinbaum's statements implicit her archetypal days successful bureau that quality rights volition beryllium astatine the forefront of her administration's policies.

Asked astir her migration argumentation Friday, Sheinbaum said lone that the killings were nether probe and doubled down connected earlier claims that the authorities doesn't interruption quality rights.

“First of all, quality rights are respected,” Sheinbaum said. “That is precise important, that is wherefore it is called a humanistic migration policy, due to the fact that quality rights are astatine the forefront.”

Three of the dormant were from Egypt, and 1 each from Peru and Honduras. The different has seemingly not yet been identified.

Ten different migrants were wounded successful the shooting. but determination has not been immoderate accusation connected their conditions.

Peru’s overseas ministry confirmed 1 Peruvian was killed and demanded “an urgent investigation” into the killings. Peru and Mexico person had damaged relations since a 2022 diplomatic spat.

It was the worst sidesplitting of migrants by authorities successful Mexico since constabulary successful the bluish authorities of Tamaulipas killed 17 migrants successful 2021.

Sheinbaum has said the shootings are being investigated to spot if immoderate commanders mightiness look punishment, and noted “a concern similar this cannot beryllium repeated.”

But she near retired immoderate notation of that Thursday astatine a ceremonial astatine a Mexico City service base, wherever service and navy commanders pledged their loyalty to her successful beforehand of massed combat vehicles and hundreds of troops.

“In our country, determination is not a authorities of siege, determination are nary violations of quality rights,” Sheinbaum said, arsenic she promised wage increases for soldiers and sailors.

The shootings Tuesday occurred adjacent the metropolis of Tapachula, adjacent the borderline with Guatemala.

The Defense Department initially said that soldiers claimed to person heard shots arsenic a convoy of 3 trucks passed the soldiers’ position.

The Attorney General’s Office aboriginal said each 3 trucks ignored orders to halt and tried to flee. The soldiers pursued them and reported coming nether occurrence from the convoy and returned fire.

One of the trucks yet stopped, the operator reportedly fled, and a full of 33 migrants were recovered aboard, from the 3 countries already mentioned, arsenic good arsenic Nepal, Cuba, India and Pakistan.

The Defense Department said 4 of the migrants were recovered dead, and 12 wounded. Two of the wounded aboriginal died of their injuries. Sheinbaum refused to accidental whether immoderate weapons were recovered successful the migrants’ truck.

The country is simply a communal way for smuggling migrants, who are often packed into crowded freight trucks. It has besides been the country of cause cartel turf battles, and the section said the trucks “were akin to those utilized by transgression groups successful the region.”

Irineo Mujica, a migrant rights activist, said helium doubted the migrants oregon their smugglers opened fire.

“It is truly intolerable that these radical would person been shooting astatine the army,” Mujica said. “Most of the time, they get done by paying bribes.”

If the deaths were the effect of service fire, arsenic appears likely, it could beryllium a large embarrassment for Sheinbaum.

The caller president has followed the pb of erstwhile President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador successful giving the equipped forces bonzer powers successful instrumentality enforcement, state-run companies, airports, trains and operation projects.