El Salvador says two of its migrants, one a 17-year-old, died when Mexican soldiers opened fire

El Salvador’s government says two of its migrants, including a 17-year-old, were killed when Mexican soldiers opened fire on the truck they were riding in last week

MEXICO CITY — El Salvador’s government said Wednesday that two of its migrants, including a 17-year-old, were killed when two Mexican soldiers opened fire on the truck they were riding in last week.

Another minor migrant, an 11-year-old Egyptian girl, was also killed in the shooting, along with her 18-year-old sister. Both soldiers have been relieved of their duties and handed over to prosecutors.

A total of six migrants were killed when soldiers shot up the truck after claiming to have heard “explosions” before opening fire. Mexican officials have said the other two migrants killed were from Peru and Honduras.

But Mexican officials have steadfastly refused to confirm details about the victims, casting doubt on newly installed President Claudia Sheinbaum’s promises of transparency and respect for human rights.

The shootings took place on October 1 – Sheinbaum’s first day as president – ​​near the town of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala. The area is often used by migrant smugglers, but warring drug cartels are also active in the region.

El Salvador’s Foreign Ministry demanded a thorough investigation into the events that led to the deaths of the 17-year-old boy and a 57-year-old man.

Earlier, Peru’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that one Peruvian had been killed and demanded an “urgent investigation” into the killings. Peru and Mexico have had damaged relations since a diplomatic row in 2022.

It was the worst killing of migrants by authorities in Mexico since police killed 17 migrants in the northern state of Tamaulipas in 2021.