Panama Says 55 Migrants Have Died Crossing Jungle This Year

A child watches migrants cleaning boats at a temporary reception centre in Panama's Darien province (Credit: AFP)

Fifty-five US-bound migrants have died and 180 children have been abandoned this year while crossing the treacherous Darien jungle from Colombia, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday.

Despite dangers including fast-flowing rivers, wild animals and criminal gangs, the Darien is a key corridor for Venezuelan and other migrants traveling overland from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States.