39 immigrants were killed in a migrant center fire at the US-Mexico border

Thirty-nine migrants died in a fire that broke out on Tuesday morning at a detention center for migrants in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, on the border with the United States, according to the Mexican government.

“We regret the death of 39 migrants so far in the fire,” the National Institute for Migration said.

An AFP reporter saw fire and ambulance teams placing several bodies wrapped in blankets in the garage of the facility of the National Institute of Migration near the border with the United States.

The National Institute of Migration confirmed to AFP that the fire had occurred but refused to give any information about the victims. However, local media reported, citing unidentified official sources, that dozens were believed to have died in the fire.

A rescue worker, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to authorize, said that about 70 migrants, most of them Venezuelans, were in the center.

“They took him in an ambulance,” said Venezuelan Finagli, who was crying out in despair in front of the center where her 27-year-old husband was taken after his arrest. However, she said that she did not know anything about his condition, as the officials in charge of the center did not make any statements.
The fire broke out just before midnight on Monday, and firefighters and dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene immediately.

Ciudad Juarez, near El Paso, Texas, is one of the border towns through which many illegal immigrants seek asylum in the United States.

Since 2014, 7,661 migrants have died or gone missing en route to the United States, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration.