Fifty-five US-bound migrants have died and 180 children have been abandoned this year while crossing the treacherous Darién jungle from Colombia, according to Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino.
Despite dangers including fast-flowing rivers, wild animals and criminal gangs, the Darién is a key corridor for Venezuelan and other migrants traveling overland from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States.
“Fifty-five people have died in 2024 on the Darién route,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference.
Panamanian authorities suspect that the death toll may be higher, as many bodies cannot be recovered from the inaccessible jungle.
The dead include 10 people who drowned in July while trying to cross a swollen river during the wet season.
So far this year, 300,000 migrants have crossed the Darien, 41% less than in 2023, when a record 520,000 people made the dangerous journey, according to Panama’s government.
Mulino said that “180 unaccompanied minors” have been abandoned in the Panamanian jungle this year and are now being looked after by child care institutions.
“It’s a very serious problem because as far as I understand they are minors of different ages,” including young children, he said.
According to international organizations, some of the children were alone because their relatives died or got lost, while others were traveling unaccompanied.
Panama and Mexico have come under increased pressure from the United States to tackle the highly contentious migration issue.
Panama has closed several routes in the Darién region and begun deporting migrants on flights funded by Washington.
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