Reports from local media have said that over 30 people have been killed in the blaze. Ciudad Juarez is one of the major crossing points for people seeking refuge in the US.A fire that broke out at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, close to the US border, has left dozens dead, local media reported on Tuesday.

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The facility holds people who have been detained while passing through the country in hopes of making it to the US. Many of those in the facility at the time of the fire — which broke out overnight — were from Venezuela.

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Mexican newspaper El Heraldo de Mexico reported that the fire was started by people who were protesting their detention by setting mattresses on fire.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and firefighters were able to extinguish the fire.

State prosecutors were also on the scene to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Border crossing hub

Local media said, citing unnamed sources, that the number of those killed in the fire was at least 36.

Ciudad Juarez lies on the other side of the border from the US city of El Paso, Texas. Many migrants end up stranded in the city waiting to be able to cross into the US.

US President Joe Biden recently set out new restrictions on migration, saying that those who simply cross into the US will no longer be eligible to make asylum claims.

Some 200,000 people attempt the border crossing each month. Most come from countries in South or Central America and are fleeing poverty and violence.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 7,661 people have died or disappeared while trying to migrate to the US. Another 988 have been killed in accidents or due to subhuman conditions.

ab/fb (AFP, AP)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 28, 2023 04:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).