Rescue of Mine Workers/Violence in Several States

Rescue of mine workers. The National Civil Protection Coordinator Laura Velázquez highlighted that the government's new strategy to rescue the 10 trapped miners has been backed by foreign companies. “The new strategy that has been implemented in the Pinabete mine to rescue our miners is the right one. We had a second meeting with the company Phoenix Response. We also have the support of a German company. We are on the right path.”

On August 3, 15 miners were working at a depth of 60m in the coal mine located in Sabinas, Coahuila, when the walls of the tunnels collapsed, flooding the three pits. For a week, authorities have been draining the water to enter the mine and rescue the miners, whose health status remains unknown. At the time of the accident, five of the 15 mine workers managed to escape. Currently, the relatives of the victims have complained about the lack of transparency and progress of the authorities. The authorities explained that they have not been able to rescue the miners because the water levels in the wells rose significantly this weekend. Consequently, the government strategy has been changed to permanent pumping of the pits, drilling 20 wells and injecting cement to seal galleries in the coal plate.

Several arrested for violent acts. Deputy Minister of Security Ricardo Mejía reported that 42 people have been arrested for the attacks committed last week in several states. “In Jalisco five people were arrested; in Guanajuato 13 people were captured; in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, seven people were arrested and in Baja California, 17 were captured.”

Last week, drug trafficking groups were responsible for carrying out several violet incidents in Jalisco, Guanajuato, Chihuahua and Baja California. On August 9, burning of vehicles, clashes and arson were reported in Guanajuato and Jalisco. Later, a deadly confrontation was reported between Los Chapos and Los Mexicles groups in Chihuahua, leaving 11 people dead. On August 12, several municipalities in Baja California suffered acts of violence, where 19 cars were set on fire. Authorities explained that there were 96 hours of violence, which left 12 dead, six injured and 20 detained.

Feminicide of Debanhi Escobar. Mejía announced that after a meeting with federal authorities and Debahni Esocbar's parents, two agreements were reached. The first agreement is that those who hinder the investigation of the case will be charged. The second agreement was that the Attorney General's Office will make the request for the case to be investigated at the federal level. “The second, at the request of the family, it is determined that once the criminal action of Obstruction of Justice has been brought, the investigation folder will be requested in order to continue with the investigations. We believe this is the best way to hold those responsible accountable.”

On April 21, the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) reported that a body rescued from a water tank in Nuevo León matched the description of Escobar, the 18-year-old girl who disappeared on April 9. The Attorney General's Office autopsy exposed that Escobar's cause of death was due to an intracranial hemorrhage. It is believed that she drowned and did not experience sexual abuse. Nevertheless, the autopsy provided by the family confirmed that she died before falling into the water tank and that there were signs of sexual abuse. Faced with social pressure and criticism, the authorities decided to request the exhumation of the body to perform a third autopsy. According to the new results, Escobar died of asphyxiation between three and five days before her body was found. Likewise, no injuries were found that indicate that there was any sexual violence.