Two migrants were shot dead on the Mexico side of the US-Mexico border, near the city of Tecate in Baja California state. They were killed during an early morning attack on Friday morning.

Mexico's National Migration Institute confirmed the deadly dawn attack that killed the two migrants and added that three more migrants suffered gunshot wounds. They somehow managed to survive because they received assistance from one of the institute's emergency rescue teams. Nine other people were also caught up in the attack but were uninjured.

According to the Associated Press, a group of around 14 migrants, all of whom are Mexican citizens, were found by Rescue Services during the dawn hours in Cuchuma Hill, which is near the border city of Tecate.

Cuchuma Hill is considered a sacred site by at least one Mexican Indigenous group. However, it is also commonly used by human traffickers to smuggle migrants across the US-Mexico border. When rescuers found the migrants on the hill, they were too late as two of them were already dead as a result of the attack.

The surviving migrants, especially the wounded ones, were quickly given medical attention though rescuers struggled to climb the hill to get to them.

Reason for Dawn Attack on Migrants Near US-Mexico Border Still Not Known

As to why the migrants were attacked, authorities admitted they still do not know. However, border crossings in certain regions can involve agreements with local cartels for the right of passage and the migrants may have been attacked as part of a territorial dispute or have unknowingly committed a violation of that agreement.

According to Al Jazeera News, local gangs and the big drug cartels often shoot at migrants if the person smuggling them, also known as a "coyote," working for a rival gang or if they haven't paid passage rights.

READ MORE: Mexico Gang Killings: Dozens of Mutiliated Bodies Found in Monterrey in Suspected Gang Purge

There is also a possibility that an armed criminal group was trying to rob these migrants. It is common for roving gangs of thieves and kidnappers to target migrants and asylum seekers on their way to the US-Mexico border, especially around the border areas.

These two deaths have marked a rapid increase in the number of migrants and asylum seekers getting killed or injured along the US-Mexico and Mexico-Guatemala borders as they try and get to the US and escape poverty or violence happening in their respective home countries.

Doctor Caught in Crossfire as Gangs Invade a Mexico Hospital

More gang-related violence in Mexico, this time in Sinaloa State as gunmen invaded a hospital in an attempt to kill a patient, according to the Associated Press.

The clash was between two groups of gunmen and it resulted in a gun battle that left four people dead. This includes a doctor who was caught in the crossfire between the two armed groups.

The incident happened in the city of Culiacan where three gunmen reportedly attacked a hospital to kill a wounded patient inside. A gun battle ensued, killing two of the gunmen and the doctor. One of the wounded gunmen was arrested by police but he tried to fight them and ended up being killed, becoming the fourth casualty.

READ MORE: Mexico: 11 Police Officers Found Guilty of Killing 17 Migrants Near US-Mexico Border

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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