Current:Home > BackMexican authorities search for 31 migrants abducted near the Texas border-LoTradeCoin
Mexican authorities search for 31 migrants abducted near the Texas border
View Date:2024-12-23 20:03:39
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities said Wednesday they are searching for 31 migrants from five countries who were abducted over the weekend from a bus near the Texas border.
The National Guard, Army and Navy are participating in the search, but there have been few advances, Federal Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez said.
On Dec. 30, armed and masked men stopped the bus on the highway that connects the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, Rodríguez said. They made all 36 people aboard get off and then took 31 of them away in five vehicles.
The abducted migrants were from Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras and Mexico, she said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday that four Colombians were among the abducted.
Rodríguez said authorities had tried to track the migrants’ cell phones, reviewed surveillance video from the bus and scanned the area by helicopter for signs of the missing.
The bus had left the northern city of Monterrey and had a final destination of Matamoros. It was intercepted near Rio Bravo.
Rodríguez conceded that the number of migrants abducted was “atypical,” because usually they are snatched in small groups.
Organized crime groups that control the border area regularly kidnap migrants to hold them for ransom.
Tamaulipas state, however, has seen large groups abducted before. In March 2019, some 22 people were taken from a bus and not seen again.
The Zetas cartel also massacred 72 Central American migrants who had been taken off buses near San Fernando, Tamaulipas in 2010.
The following year nearly 200 bodies were found buried in San Fernando, most of them had been kidnapped off buses and killed.
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
veryGood! (391)
Related
- Ryan Reynolds Clarifies Taylor Swift’s Role as Godmother to His Kids With Blake Lively
- Skelly's back: Home Depot holds Halfway to Halloween sale 6 months before spooky day
- Skelly's back: Home Depot holds Halfway to Halloween sale 6 months before spooky day
- He hoped to be the first Black astronaut in space, but never made it. Now 90, he's going.
- Ashton Jeanty stats: How many rushing yards did Boise State Heisman hopeful have vs Nevada
- University protests over Israel-Hamas war in Gaza lead to hundreds of arrests on college campuses
- Baltimore high school athletic director used AI to create fake racist recording of principal, authorities say
- Sophia Bush comes out as queer, confirms relationship with Ashlyn Harris
- Statue of the late US Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, is unveiled in his native Alabama
- Catch and Don't Release Jennifer Garner and Boyfriend John Miller's Rare Outing in Los Angeles
Ranking
- How Saturday Night Live Reacted to Donald Trump’s Win Over Kamala Harris
- He hoped to be the first Black astronaut in space, but never made it. Now 90, he's going.
- Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
- Veteran taikonaut, 2 rookies launched on long-duration Chinese space station flight
- Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term
- 'You think we're all stupid?' IndyCar reacts to Team Penske's rules violations
- 10-Year-Old Boy Calls 911 to Report Quadruple Murder-Suicide of His Entire Family
- Body believed to be that of trucker missing for 5 months found in Iowa farm field, but death remains a mystery
Recommendation
-
Louisiana asks court to block part of ruling against Ten Commandments in classrooms
-
A man accused in a Harvard bomb threat and extortion plot is sentenced to 3 years probation
-
Catch and Don't Release Jennifer Garner and Boyfriend John Miller's Rare Outing in Los Angeles
-
Why Céline Dion Had Egg-Sized Injury on Her Face After Wedding Day
-
Vikings' Camryn Bynum celebrates game-winning interception with Raygun dance
-
Berkshire Hathaway’s real estate firm to pay $250 million to settle real estate commission lawsuits
-
Roger Goodell wants NFL season to run to Presidents' Day – creating three-day Super Bowl weekend
-
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York