Six people were reported dead in an ambush Tuesday morning in the Chiapas region of southeastern Mexico, where organized crime groups operate in the mountainous terrain, according to a statement from the State Attorney General’s Office. The incident is under investigation by the Sierra Border District Prosecutor’s Office as authorities seek to identify those responsible for the killings along the Chicomuselo road section near Siltepec, close to the Ampliación San Francisco community in Siltepec municipality.
Residents described that one criminal group targeted rivals who were traveling in a cargo truck with two motorcycles. Witnesses said the attackers fired repeatedly, leaving bodies scattered around the vehicle, with some inside the cargo area and others in nearby bushes, and the truck riddled with bullet holes. News of the attack circulated quickly on social media as mobile phones captured the chilling scenes, prompting municipal, state, and federal officials to respond at the site near the border with Guatemala.
Meanwhile, transportation workers from several municipalities protested the persistent security gaps along the border zone, organizing roadblocks at key locations in Frontera Comalapa, particularly at the highest point near the Chamic community, near the Mexico-Guatemala boundary. Local residents in Chicomuselo reported seeing armed, masked men traveling in multiple vehicles during the afternoon hours, contributing to a climate of fear and uncertainty in the region.
In its statement, the prosecutor’s office noted that once the events were confirmed, an Inter-Agency Group led by the FGE, working in coordination with the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) and the State Preventive Police, moved to the area. The group coordinated the removal of the victims and the autopsy process in accordance with procedures for unidentified bodies, while also initiating investigations to determine motive, applicable charges, and potential links to organized crime networks operating in the area.
Over recent months, violence and insecurity have risen in Chiapas, particularly within indigenous communities where armed groups have asserted influence. Activists and residents have condemned the violence, but federal authorities have repeatedly denied that criminal acts threaten regional stability, asserting that peace remains in place. Chiapas is a strategically significant state due to its geographic position, serving as a conduit between northern and southern regions and sharing a long border with Guatemala that spans roughly 700 kilometers.