After the COVID-19 epidemic, Chinese citizens have become a new group of people smuggling north from South and Central America to the United States or seeking asylum. They call this dangerous smuggling route "walking the line", and there are occasional reports of accidents.

Mexican officials said that last week, the bodies of eight Chinese citizens were found on a beach in the southwestern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Prosecutors in the country said the boat they were on capsized and sank. The remains were discovered last Friday (March 29) on a popular smuggling route. Mexican officials said the Chinese citizens were trying to head to the United States.

The seven women and one man who died were aboard a Mexican-operated ship that set sail from the Mexican state of Chiapas on the border with Guatemala last Thursday. Mexican officials said one man on board survived and the Mexican driver's whereabouts were unknown.

The Oaxaca state prosecutor's office said the remains were found on a beach near the town of Playa Vicente. The office added that it was investigating the cause of the accident and was working with the Chinese Embassy in Mexico to confirm the identities of the victims.