Reynosa, 3 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Armed men have kidnapped 31 migrants from a bus in north-east Mexico on the border with the US.

The bus with a total of 36 people on board was stopped by five vehicles near the town of Reynosa and the migrants were taken out, the newspaper Reforma reported on Tuesday, citing the spokesman for the security authority of the state of Tamaulipas, Jorge Cuéllar.

The incident happened on Saturday evening. According to the reports, the migrants were mainly Venezuelans who wanted to attend asylum appointments with the US authorities.

Mexico is on the migration route of people trying to reach the US from Central and South America. They are fleeing poverty, violence and political crises in their home countries.

The overland route through Mexico is very dangerous for migrants, with many kidnapped by drug cartels in order to extort ransom money from their families.

According to the Tamaulipas security authorities, five other migrants who had also been kidnapped from a bus were rescued by the National Guard. They were found in a vehicle on the motorway between the cities of Monterrey and Matamoros. Two suspects escaped on foot.

According to a report by the radio station Grupo Fórmula, however, this was a different incident to the abduction of the 31 people near Reynosa.

Photo: EPA