More than three dozen people are reportedly dead and more than two dozen injured after a deadly fire at a migrant center near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) released a statement Tuesday that reported39 deaths and 29 injuries from the devastating fire, which it claimed broke out just before 10 p.m. on Monday night in the Mexican state of Chihuahua in Ciudad Juarez.
Photos and videos taken outside the facility following the blazeshowed several bodiescovered in shiny tarps lined up beside emergency service vehicles, reported Reuters. The INM said that the 29 injured were transported to four local hospitals in conditions ranging from “delicate” to “serious.”
Luis Torres/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A total of 68 men from Central and South Americahad been staying at the facilityat the time of the blaze, INM added in its release.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“This immigration authority will promptly monitor the evolution of the health status of those who are hospitalized and will provide full support to the families of the victims,” the INM continued.
Mexico’s National Migration Institute did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“It is with deep sadness and grief that we learned of the fire that occurred inside the INM in Ciudad Juárez,” Chávez wrote about the tragedy, the cause of which has yet to be officially announced. “We will wait for the official information and, from this moment on, we extend our condolences to the families of the migrants.”
RELATED Video:2 Dead, 8 Rescued and Several Others Still Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Florida Keys
The migrant facility islocated close to the Santa Fe International Bridge, neighboring El Paso, Texas, reported NBC News. It is one of the sites where immigrants who have requested asylum in the U.S.stay while they wait for permission to cross, per Associated Press.
A number of migrants have traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border inanticipation of the end of Title 42, which gives U.S. border officials the authority to immediately reject migrants at the border, after the Biden Administration indicated that it would end the act, added the BBC.
source: people.com
