More than 150,000 migrants so far this year have made the treacherous crossing across the Darien jungle which links Panama with Colombia, a record figure according to official data.
Panama's National Migration Service (SNM) said on Monday that 151,582 migrants made the crossing between January and September, fleeing poverty and violence with the hope of reaching the United States. This includes some 21,570 minors.
The figure, which surpasses the 133,726 who made the crossing throughout last year, may have exceeded 160,000 in the first days of October, according to Panama's ombudsman office, with the vast majority coming from Venezuela.
