Mexico migrants packed into lorry

Mexican police say they have detained 289 illegal migrants from Latin America, including 226 Guatemalans found inside a single lorry.

The Guatemalans, who were hungry and dehydrated, were discovered during a routine road check in the southern state of Chiapas, police said.

In the state of Veracruz, 63 illegal migrants were found hidden in a truck.

Thousands of illegal migrants pass through Mexico every year in a bid to head north and reach the US.

Every space on every wagon in front and behind was taken up with illegal migrants holding onto roofs Migrants defy border security

The Guatemalans were detained in Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas, Mexican officials said.

Police stopped the vehicle because the driver seemed suspicious, then searched its trailer after hearing cries and thumps from inside, reports said.

Although thousands of people cross Mexico in trains and trucks en route to the US each year , it is unusual for so many to be found in a single vehicle, correspondents say.

In Veracruz state, 63 people were found hidden in a secret compartment of a lorry, all showing signs of dehydration, according to the authorities.

They were believed to have come from Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, as well as Guatemala.

The drivers of the vehicles were arrested on suspicion of people-trafficking, Mexican media reported.