Mexico's president demands answers after deaths of 2 US Embassy staffers
The staffers died when their vehicle fell into a ravine, Mexican officials said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday she wants answers after four people, including two United States Embassy staffers, were killed in an accident while returning from an operation targeting drug labs that she said had not gotten required approval from the Mexican government.
The president said she is seeking to "understand why this situation occurred" and determine if there were any National Security Law violations.
The incident occurred over the weekend in the state of Chihuahua, when a vehicle carrying the two staffers and two Mexican officials with the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency fell into a ravine, according to the Chihuahua State Attorney General's Office.
The four officials were returning from an operation to "destroy clandestine laboratories" in a remote area of Morelos at the time, and were leading a five-vehicle convoy, the office said.
The two U.S. Embassy employees were training officers who had been "carrying out training activities as part of the regular and ongoing cooperation with U.S. authorities," the office said. Their names have not been released.
The director of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency and a member of that agency also died, officials said.
On Monday, Sheinbaum said her office is in contact with the U.S. Embassy and expressed condolences for the lives lost in the incident.
"We deeply regret this accident in which lives were lost, and they have the full solidarity and support of the Government of Mexico," she said during a news conference.
Sheinbaum then questioned the operation, noting that any collaboration with the U.S. at the state level requires prior authorization from the federal government, but that her government had "no knowledge of any direct work between the state of Chihuahua and personnel from the United States Embassy in Mexico."
"Therefore, we are requesting full information from both the government of Chihuahua and the government of the United States, and we are reviewing whether there may have been any violation of the National Security Law, as this is an important matter," she said.
"We have made it clear, and we have stated this before, that there is collaboration and coordination, but there are no joint operations on the ground or in the air. There are no joint operations," she said.
When reached for comment, the State Department referred to a statement from the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, which said in part, "This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by Mexican and U.S. officials dedicated to protecting our communities, and it strengthens our determination to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security and justice, to protect our people."