At least 39 men are killed and dozens injured after a fire started in an immigration detention facility in northern Mexico near the US border. The blaze occurred late Monday at a facility in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
In a statement, Mexico’s National Immigration Institute confirmed that At least 39 people died and 29 injured people were taken to hospitals.
The facility was holding 68 adult men from Central and South America. Many of the victims were Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze.
Ciudad Juarez is a major crossing point for migrants entering the United States. Its shelters are full of migrants and refugees waiting for opportunities to cross, or who have requested asylum in the US and are waiting out the process.
A recent report by the International Organization for Migration said since 2014 about 7,661 people have died or disappeared en route to the US, while 988 perished in accidents or while travelling in subhuman conditions.
