The migrant trail that lead to Mexico truck tragedy and more than 50 people dead

Land route from Central America to the US is among the world’s deadliest, yet some 2 million people have attempted it since 2017, reports Chris Havler-Barrett in Mexico City

The devastating scene following the truck crash that has left at least 54 people dead (EPA)

Despite hard-line initiatives by the United States and Mexican governments, 2021 has seen a record number of migrants attempt to cross from Central American and Caribbean nations to gain entry to the south of the US.

While the final leg of this route – from the sprawl of Mexico City to the border regions of Coahuila, Chihuahua and Tamaulipas – form the most infamous sections of the journey, with mass executions, trafficking and crime commonplace occurrences, the earlier stages of the route are no less dangerous.

The death of at least 54 migrants in Chiapas is a stark reminder that this heavily trafficked route is fraught with peril from the outset.