On the afternoon of Saturday, January 25, a group of more than a dozen teenagers, members of a soccer team, disappeared while traveling on Federal Highway 49, near the border between the states of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas in Mexico.
The young people, who were on a trip from San Luis Potosí, became untraceable, causing great concern among their families and the community.
Why did the soccer players disappear?
According to reports from the local news outlet Expreso, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, in coordination with the National Guard, the Mexican Army, and the State Civil Guard, activated a search operation to locate the soccer team and the vehicle they were traveling in.
Unofficially, there was speculation that the vehicle may have been intercepted by a criminal group, which increased fears of a possible kidnapping situation.
In response to the events, the General Prosecutor's Office of the State of San Luis Potosí confirmed that an investigation file was opened upon learning of the disappearance of the transportation. This process was key in coordinating the efforts of local and federal authorities, who worked together to locate the young people.
Football players found alive in Aguascalientes
Hours later, according to Milenio, the Prosecutor's Office issued a statement informing that, thanks to the search operations, the young soccer players were found in the state of Aguascalientes, safe; in addition to the teenagers, five adults and a minor were also found. Fortunately, none of them were injured or reported any physical harm.
Although specific details have not been provided on whether the group was deprived of their freedom in order to commit a crime, authorities assured that the students and other individuals traveling on the transportation were escorted back home under strict security measures.
Meanwhile, investigations continue to clarify the reasons behind the disappearance and if there is any connection to criminal groups in the area. Families, on the other hand, breathe a sigh of relief after the location of their loved ones, but the incident raises a call for attention to the challenges in public security, once again bringing up the topic of security on the roads and the risks that travelers face in certain areas of the country.