Most of the 37 undocumented migrants traveling through Mexico have died this year, many of whom drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande into the United States, Mexico's government reported on Sunday.
In addition to four migrants who died due to different causes in the states of Veracruz and Baja, 33 drowned due to the force of the current, the depth and low temperatures of the Rio Bravo Grande delineating the Mexico-US border, said the National Institute of Migration INM in a press statement.
It added that 22 of the migrants were not carrying identification, while others were from Guatemala, Honduras, Honduras, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru and Venezuela.
When contacted by AFP, the INM said it had repatriated the bodies of 11 identified immigrants, but wouldn't say where the remains of the other 22 are located, or provide details about their ages and gender.
The report on migrant deaths from January to May came a few days after the conclusion of the Ninth Summit of the Americas, hosted by the United States in Los Angeles, where immigration was a key topic.
On the last day of the gathering, US President Joe Biden led a pledge by 20 nations to support the safety and dignity of all migrants as well as greater cooperation by law enforcement.
It comes as a new caravan of thousands of migrants fleeing poverty, violence and political oppression makes its way from southern Mexico to the US border.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking to enter the United States travel from South and Central America up through Mexico each year, but in recent years the country has stepped up its border controls and in 2021 detained more than 300,000 undocumented migrants.