More than 25 migrant deaths  in Darien jungle

 At least 25 migrants whose bodies have been recovered have died as they attempt to follow the dangerous route from Colombia to Panama through the  Darien jungle since 2015 and this year  The figures do not include those who disappeared or drowned unseen in the fast flowing Turquoise river.

A report by the International Organization for Migration indicates that in Latin America and the Caribbean – where 1,000 migrant deaths are estimated between 2014 and 2018 – it is difficult to obtain reliable figures, particularly on the high seas or in remote jungle areas.

The official figures of the Ministry of Public Security say that  81.000 migrants traveled through the area, between 2015 and 2019, in their attempt to cross from Colombia to Panama through this dangerous route, to continue to their ultimate destination  Mexico, the United States or Canada.

 José Vicente Pachar, director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine  said  that there is  under the registration of deaths .”Obviously, that is a clandestine activity, so when a person dies  the body is abandoned and he dies, the person is abandoned and a body in the jungle breaks down in a matter of days.”

When no one claims the body of the migrant, which is usually what happens, a burial of “solemnity” takes place. Last year six migrants who perished on their journey were buried, and this year there are four bodies still remain in the morgue.

“There are human remains of migrants in the jungle that have yet to be investigated. The magnitude of the problem exceeds our possibilities and we have begun conversations with the International Committee of the Red Cross, so that an international forensic team can verify the jungle. The ultimate goal is to identify these people and know the magnitude of the problem, “Pachar told La Prensa