Sunday, February 26, 2923, the Panamanian government temporarily suspended until further notice, the bus service for migrants from the dangerous region of Darien to the north of the country after two serious road accidents.

The last accident dates from Saturday February 25, 2023 around 6:00 a.m. when a bus transporting 57 migrants to the Los Planes refuge in Gualaca (province of Chiriquí) on the border with Costa Rica, on the Pan-American highway, caught fire at height of Limón Seco, where fortunately all the migrants were able to get out safe and sound from the bus which was completely destroyed by the flames.

The previous accident dates from February 15 when a bus carrying migrants fell into a ravine and left 41 dead (including 16 Haitians) and nearly twenty injured https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38882-haiti-panama-a-migrant-bus-falls-into-a-ravine-41-dead-including-16-haitians.html

The Panamanian immigration agency has indicated that no trips will be made until the transport authorities carry out a rigorous inspection of all the buses that transport the migrants who have crossed the Darien jungle, which cross the country, from the border with Colombia to that of Costa Rica and guarantee their safety.

Migrants often reach Panama by crossing the dangerous Darien Jungle between Colombia and Panama. Panamanian authorities estimate that more than 37,000 migrants have made the journey overland so far in 2023.

Panama allows migrants to move to the Costa Rican border, where they usually try to cross Central America and Mexico to reach the US border.

S/ HaitiLibre