- Title: GUATEMALA: Bodies of migrants killed in Mexico ranch massacre return home
- Date: 26th September 2010
- Summary: PRESIDENTIAL GUARD LEAVING WITH COFFINS RELATIVES CRYING GUARD LEAVING WITH COFFIN COVERED BY GUATEMALAN FLAG
- Embargoed: 11th October 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Guatemala
- Country: Guatemala
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVAB3H03Y726ZDMKIKWF1HGZRBN9
- Story Text: In a solemn ceremony under a heavy rain, friends, family and government officials honoured on Friday (September 24) four Guatemalans killed in last month's migrant massacre in northern Mexico.
Seventy-two corpses of migrant workers from various countries were found by police in August on a ranch near the U.S. / Mexican border.
At least four Guatemalans were among the dead and, after weeks of investigation, their bodies were repatriated to Guatemala on Friday.
Tearful friends and family gathered as a presidential honour guard carried the coffins.
Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom was on hand for the ceremony. He said the tragedy was forcing his administration to ponder Guatemala's future.
"Today is, for our government, a day of deep reflection on intensifying our work to reduce poverty, to generate opportunities to improve our national productivity so that God willing, someday the dream of the migrants will be here in Guatemala and they will not have to risk their lives," he said.
Mexico's ambassador to Guatemala, Eduardo Ibarrola Nicolin, also attended the ceremony. He said the killings should bring together the countries of Central America, Mexico and the United States in a show of solidarity against such tragedies.
"They are operating throughout all of Central America. They are operating in Mexico, they are operating in Guatemala, they are operating in the United States and in many other places and we have to cooperate in order to combat them efficiently and to ensure that these things do not happen. That is to say, it is necessary to - as Mexico is doing - participate in investigations in order to bring the guilty to justice," he said.
Several arrests have been made since the massacre, believed to be the work of the Zetas, a gang of feared drug cartel enforcers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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