Guatemala's Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo urged Washington to invest in Central American countries. | Photo: Twitter @m_ebrard

Mexico City, December 11 (RHC)-- Mexico, along with other countries in the region, assured that they will not allow impunity in the case of the accident that occurred Thursday in Chiapas that has claimed the lives of, so far, 55 people of different nationalities, and left more than a hundred injured.

The governments of Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, the United States, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Honduras announced Friday a high-level group against smuggling networks.  The objective, explained Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard in a message, is to investigate, identify and bring to justice the members and leaders of the transnational criminal organization linked to Thursday's accident.  "We will not allow impunity," he maintained.

"It is unacceptable that multinational human trafficking networks continue to be responsible for the terrible loss of human lives," added the Mexican foreign minister, accompanied by his Guatemalan counterpart, Pedro Brolo.

For his part, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo urged Washington to invest in Central American countries, as well as to toughen penalties against human traffickers following the deaths of dozens of migrants in Chiapas.

"This is a wake-up call to governments that we must toughen penalties for those who play with people's hopes," said Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo in a televised announcement from Mexico's foreign ministry.  "We invite the U.S. government to support development and investment in our country, as well as in neighboring countries, to prevent and ensure that these tragedies are not repeated."

At least 55 people were killed in a trailer accident in southern Mexico, in which more than 150 Central American migrants were crammed together.