Mexican Freight Derails, At Least 6 Aboard Killed

[The Davy Crockett]

According to CNN a frieght train in Mexico, nicknamed "The Beast," has derailed, killing at least six people who had hopped the train.

From the article linked above:

The death toll from a cargo train derailment in Mexico climbed to six on Monday as authorities continued searching the scene of the wreck for victims.The cargo train was hauling 55 tons of scrap metal, but hundreds of stowaway migrants were also on board, and officials feared the number of dead could rise as they combed through the wreckage.

All six people killed in Sunday's derailment were Honduran, Mexico's National Migration Institute said. Fifteen Hondurans and Guatemalans were hospitalized after the derailment. By Monday, five remained hospitalized in serious condition.

Mexico no longer has a nationwide passenger rail system, but thousands of Central American migrants hitch rides on freight trains heading north towards the United States.

On the train, nicknamed "The Beast" and "the train of death," they often huddle on rooftops and cram into spare spaces between cars.

 

[rrdude]

".............At least 59 migrants involved in the crash received support at a shelter in neighboring Veracruz state.........."

Geeze, that's a freight train, and they think it was "carrying" a couple of HUNDRED stow-aways, apparently very normal.....

 

[Devil's Advocate]

In Mexico you can privatize the railroads and take away the passenger trains but people will still ride anyway.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

In Mexico you can privatize the railroads and take away the passenger trains but people will still ride anyway.

If they had passenger trains it wouldn't make a difference. These were illegal immigrants, so they had no offical document and probably no money to buy and ticket. These guys would have jumped the frieght train anyway.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

In Mexico you can privatize the railroads and take away the passenger trains but people will still ride anyway.

If they had passenger trains it wouldn't make a difference. These were illegal immigrants, so they had no offical document and probably no money to buy and ticket. These guys would have jumped the frieght train anyway.

Illegal immigrants? We're they Americans looking for a better life in Mexico?

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Illegal immigrants? We're they Americans looking for a better life in Mexico?

Obviously they were just released American ex-cons who were given tickets on Amtrak to El Paso, where they crossed the Rio Grande under the cover of night, and were on their way to southern Mexico and Guatemala looking to better their lives with the great many opportunities there! hboy:

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Illegal immigrants? We're they Americans looking for a better life in Mexico?

Obviously they were just released American ex-cons who were given tickets on Amtrak to El Paso, where they crossed the Rio Grande under the cover of night, and were on their way to southern Mexico and Guatemala looking to better their lives with the great many opportunities there! hboy:

Hey, I thought this was northbound train!

 

[jis]

Even so, as Mexicans in Mexico, how could they be illegal immigrants, irrespective of which way the train was headed? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[CHamilton]

Even so, as Mexicans in Mexico, how could they be illegal immigrants, irrespective of which way the train was headed? Inquiring minds want to know.

The original article said "All six people killed in Sunday's derailment were Honduran, Mexico's National Migration Institute said. Fifteen Hondurans and Guatemalans were hospitalized after the derailment." So I don't think they were Mexican...

 

[jis]

Even so, as Mexicans in Mexico, how could they be illegal immigrants, irrespective of which way the train was headed? Inquiring minds want to know.

The original article said "All six people killed in Sunday's derailment were Honduran, Mexico's National Migration Institute said. Fifteen Hondurans and Guatemalans were hospitalized after the derailment." So I don't think they were Mexican...

Ah OK. That makes sense. But still there is no basis to conclude that they were illegal. Or did the National Mexican Migration Institute make a statement to that effect too?

 

[Aaron]

Ah OK. That makes sense. But still there is no basis to conclude that they were illegal. Or did the National Mexican Migration Institute make a statement to that effect too?

The original article has a couple of inline links for background on the train and the migrant passengers that make it pretty clear that the migrants are illegally in Mexico, and are beginning to encounter the same anti-immigrant sentiment there as they would find if they journeyed on to the US. From one of the linked articles:

"The Salvadoran Consul in Arriaga, where "The Beast" begins its journey through Mexico, is Vilma Mendoza. She says more than 20,000 illegal migrants have boarded the train in the first four months of this year."

 

[George Harris]

It is worth noting that Mexico is a lot less friendly and sypathetic toward illegal immigrants than the US.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Is there no one at the Mexican-Honduran border to make sure these stowaways don't get through?