Record 500,000+ migrants crossed into Panama this year: minister

AFP :
A record of over half a million US-bound migrants have crossed the dangerous Darien jungle from Colombia to Panama so far this year, the government in Panama said Wednesday.
The number was double that of 2022, when some 248,000 people made the arduous journey, Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino told AFP.
Along the journey, migrants driven by a chance at a better life encounter wild animals, thick jungle, rivers and criminal gangs who rob or demand money to guide them through the jungle.
Despite its dangers, the 165-mile (265-kilometer) Darien Gap has become a key corridor for migrants heading from South America through Central America and Mexico in hopes of reaching the United States.