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Thursday, September 2, 2010

There was a Second Survivor from Mexico Massacre

CNN

A second person survived a massacre in which 72 migrants from Central and South America were killed last week in northern Mexico, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and Mexican officials said.

A man from Ecuador was previously thought to be the only survivor.

That man, identified as Luis Freddy Lala Pomavilla, said someone else also lived through the mass shooting, Correa said at a news conference late Tuesday night upon his return to Ecuador from a trip to Haiti.

Correa did not provide details other than to say the second survivor came from Honduras.

"We don't want to put him in danger," Correa said.

Viviana Macias, a spokeswoman for the Mexican attorney general's office, confirmed Wednesday that a second person had survived the attack.

The attorney general's office said authorities had not revealed news of the second survivor in order to protect the person's safety. For the same reason, officials said Wednesday, they will not reveal the person's identity.

The attorney general's office said in a release Wednesday afternoon that the survivor is being held and protected as a witness and has given officials "relevant information to identify those presumed to be responsible." The agency has been in touch with authorities in Honduras, the release said.

Lala Pomavilla, the Ecuadorian survivor, was returned to his homeland late Sunday.

The young man was wounded in the attack and said he survived by playing dead. He later walked several miles to a military roadblock near the town of San Fernando in Tamaulipas state, less than 100 miles from the U.S. border.

Officials are investigating whether members of the Zetas drug cartel were responsible for the deaths.

The bodies of the 72 victims are being returned to their homelands, which include Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Brazil.

Mexican officials returned the remains of 16 migrants to Honduras on Wednesday.

A live broadcast on CNN affiliate Televicentro showed six-man honor guards wheeling the bodies one by one off a transport aircraft. Bereaved relatives and friends cried and held each other as the gray caskets glided by slowly, guided solemnly by soldiers in dress uniforms and red-plumed hats.

The caskets, each adorned with a bouquet of flowers on top, were placed under a large tent on the tarmac at the air force airport in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.

"Repatriation," said the Televicentro banner imposed over the bottom of the TV image. "What started as a search for the American dream ended in a mortal nightmare."

After the 16 caskets were gathered in the tent, a Roman Catholic priest prayed over them.

"Don't lose your faith in God," he told those gathered there before he sprinkled holy water on each of the caskets.

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo also addressed the crowd, merely reading the names of the 16 victims before walking back to his spot in a line of dignitaries.

Some family members were brought up to have a word with Lobo, who hugged them and spoke quietly with them.

The caskets were released to the families after the ceremony, and at one point Lobo went to where a man with a gray New York Yankees cap was sobbing as he leaned on a coffin. Lobo patted the man on the shoulder and reached out to a woman standing next to him.

The victims will be taken to their hometowns for burial.

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for running this...I thought it is important and curious even though A BB reader was overwhelmed I spoke of it yesterdat...

    any thoughts of why the 2nd was protected and the 1st not? so curious to me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is very strange and I hope a lesson was learned from mishandling the first survivor’s identity.

    I hope they are not negligent with the second survivor.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This clears up something that was bugging me. I read a story in the Mexican press last week. In the story it spoke of the survivor as being named "Martin" and told of his journey from Central America through Mx. He said they landed at a safe house in Verzcruz where contact info was demanded from each migrant so Zs could call for extortion money. He described Humiliation, threats, torture and murder. They began by ordering everyone to remove their clothes, 2 persons refused. They were taken from the group, next they made the calls and Martin's family did send 1000USD. Those that did not pay were offered the pay or kill scenario. Those who refused were sent with the 2 that would not undress. Whoever agreed to join the Zs were given their first order to torture and beat the group deemed of no value to the Zs. then they were ordered to kill them.

    They traveled by train to Saltillo, then buses to Tamps. By the time the reached Tamps they were exposed to what the first and immediate order would be if they joined the Zs... which answered the Q why did everyone refused.

    Clearly I would have to take a bullet and I venture to say most people could not kill innocent persons even if it meant death for themselves.

    WHen I read this account so filled with details I had not heard prior from Luis'account I was confused, now I have concluded they were the two different survivors.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chivis,
    Your last post testifies, the importance of following a news story, blog accounts ETC. in order to grasp some idea, of any current event...unfolding, perhaps, as we speak.

    P.S. While at the same time, being acutely aware of a 'war of propangda' ALL SIDES.

    And the importance of validating the 'source'.

    crap! The above starts resembling WW 11 or Cold War propaganda strategies...at their most involved. (Envolving?)

    ReplyDelete
  5. the "72" was a big story until La Barbie blew it off the news desk, which in effect derailed a growing outrage and demand for justice & change. The C.A. migrants are the the invisable casualties in the Mx drug war. I looked in vain for the story of Martin the other survivor because of the facts he included were relavant towards a greater understanding.

    A fellow humanitarian & friend operates rehabs in Mx he is a 501C3 as I am. BUT he has operated silently 2 safe houses in Northern Mx close to the Texas border. These are for the C.A. undocumented migrants. His rehab has been forced to close because of arson and threats. Today he said one of the safe houses was torched and he does not think he can stay in the area (Z). Cartels eliminate safe houses and rehabs as soon as they become aware of their existance. He sent me this article ..

    http://www.globalissues.org/news/2010/09/01/6806

    Here is a video of Luis'interview..spanish only
    He warns ecuadorians not to travel to Mx because of the Zetas...He also mentions that before he reached the marines he met two men who refused to help him
    http://eluniversaltv.com.mx/detalle.php?d=20005

    the article reports apx 10K migrants kidnapped in 5 months, and that is the ones they are aware of...a very tragic situation I hope will continue to gain interest.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i wish the familys and countrys of these people could send some killers to hunt down the z

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  7. and Mexico pisses and moans about USA immigration laws ...this shit would never happen from USA people

    ReplyDelete
  8. now these countrys people should kill all the Z in their homeland, and all that are with them tambien

    ReplyDelete

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