The flow of migrants to Panamanian territory may exceed the estimated daily average in the coming days, after it was confirmed that in the Colombian town of Necoclí there are about 14,000 travelers waiting to continue on their way to the north of the continent.

The border town is one of the last stops that migrants make before entering Darién.

Jorge Augusto Tobón, mayor of Necoclí, reported that public and hospital services have collapsed. It is asking the foreign ministries of Panama and Colombia to increase the number of immigration passage permits, taking into account that it is currently at 500.

"The situation is going to get complicated because between 800 and 1,200 migrants are arriving to the municipality every day," Tobón told the newspaper El Tiempo.

The migration crisis in the region led the Panamanian and Colombian authorities to hold coordination meetings to ensure a controlled migration flow to guarantee the human rights of these travelers and prevent illegal trafficking of people.

Panama and Colombia have reiterated that they are transit countries and that most of the migrants are destined for the United States, which is why the support of the nations of the region is expected.

Robberies and rapes
The Ministry of Security of Panama reported that this year, until August, approximately 64,000 migrants had passed through Isthmian territory. The majority of Haitian nationality.

The flow of migrants through the jungle of the Panamanian province of Darien has generated additional concern for the authorities with reports of robberies, assaults and rapes.

On Wednesday the attorney in charge of Panama, Javier Caraballo, made a tour of the Darien town of Bajo Chiquito, which is the first place where these migrants arrive, to evaluate the complaints.

Caraballo announced that starting next week there will be a full-time prosecutor to receive complaints filed by migrants, reports La Prensa.

"This visit and some investigations that are being carried out reveal the participation of Panamanian and Colombian citizens in the commission of this type of criminal conduct," said Caraballo.

He stressed that it is important that the authorities of the countries that have to do with this flow of migrants coordinate in an adequate way in order to carry out joint actions to dismantle the criminal groups that are taking advantage of the migratory situation.